TllE 


VIRGINIA 


HOUSEWIFE: 

OR, 

METHODICAL  COOK. 


BY  MRS.  MARY  RANDOLPH. 


METHOD  IS  THE  SOUL  OF  MANAGEMENT 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  E.  H.  BUTLER  &  CO. 

1871. 


PREFACE. 


[p  *4* )  *  ^ 

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Thk  difficulties  I  encountered  when  I  first 
entered  on  the  duties  of  a  housekeeping  life,  from 
the  want  of  books  sufficiently  clear  and  concise 
to  impart  knowledge  to  a  Tyro,  compelled  me 
to  study  the  subject,  and  by  actual  experiment 
to  reduce  every  thing  in  the  culinary  line,  to 
proper  weights  and  measures.  This  method  I 
found  not  only  to  diminish  the  necessary  atten¬ 
tion  and  labour,  but  to  be  also  economical:  for, 
when  the  ingredients  employed  were  given*in 
just  proportions,  the  article  made  was  always 
equally  good.  The  government  of  a  family,  bears 
a  Lilliputian  resemblance  to  the  government  of  a 
nation.  The  contents  of  the  Treasury  must  be 
known,  and  great  care  taken  to  keep  the  expen¬ 
ditures  from  being  equal  to  the  receipts.  A 
regular  system  must  be  introduced  into  each  de¬ 
partment,  which  may  be  modified  until  matured, 
and  should  then  pass  into  an  inviolable  law.  The 
grand  arcanum  of  management  lies  in  three  sim¬ 
ple  rules: — “Let  every  thing  be  done  at  a  proper 
time,  keep  every  thing  m  its  proper  place,  and 
put  every  thing  to  its  pioper  use.”  If  the  mis- 

,  tress  of  a  family,  will  every  morning  examine 

<  minutely  the*  different  departments  of  her  house- 


94098 i 


IV 


PREFACE. 


hold,  she  must  detect  errors  in  their  infant  state, 
when  they  can  be  corrected  with  ease;  but  a  few 
days’  growth  gives  them  gigantic  strength:  and 
disorder,  with  all  her  attendant  evils,  are  intro¬ 
duced.  Early  rising  is  also  essential  to  the  good 
government  of  a  family.  A  late  breakfast  de¬ 
ranges  the  whole  business  of  the  day,  and  throws 
a  portion  of  it  on  the  next,  which  opens  the  door 
for  confusion  to  enter.  The  greater  part  of  the 
following  receipts  have  been  written  from  memo¬ 
ry,  where  they  were  impressed  by  long  con¬ 
tinued  practice.  Should  they  prove  serviceable 
to  the  young  inexperienced  housekeeper,  it  will 
add  greatly  to  that  gratification  which  an  exten¬ 
sive  circulation  of  the  work  will  be  likely  to 
confer. 

M.  RANDOLPH. 

Washington ,  January ,  1831. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Management  is  an  art  that  may  be  acquired  by  everj 
woman  of  good  sense  and  tolerable  memory.  If,  unfortunately, 
she  has  been  bred  in  a  family  where  domestic  business  is  the 
work  of  chance,  she  will  have  many  difficulties  to  encounter; 
but  a  determined  resolution  to  obtain  this  valuable  knowledge, 
will  enable  her  to  surmount  all  obstacles.  She  must  begin  the 
day  with  an  early  breakfast,  requiring  each  person  to  be  in 
readiness  to  take  their  seats  when  the  muffins,  buckwheat 
cakes,  &. c.  are  placed  on  the  table.  This  looks  social  and  com¬ 
fortable.  When  the  family  breakfast  by  detachments,  the  table 
remains  a  tedious  time;  the  servants  are  kept  from  their  morn¬ 
ing’s  meal,  and  a  complete  derangement  takes  place  in  the 
whole  business  of  the  day.  No  work  can  be  done  till  break¬ 
fast  is  finished.  The  Virginia  ladies,  who  are  proverbially  good 
managers,  employ  themselves,  while  their  servants  are  eating, 
in  washing  the  cups,  glasses,  &c.;  arranging  the  cruets,  the 
mustard,  salt-sellers,  pickle  vases,  and  all  the  apparatus  for  the 
dinner  table.  This  occupies  but  a  short  time,  and  the  lady 
has  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  they  are  in  much  better 
order  than  they  would  be  if  left  to  the  servants.  It  also  re¬ 
lieves  her  from  the  trouble  of  seeing  the  dinner  table  prepared, 
which  should  be  done  every  day  with  the  same  scrupulous  re¬ 
gard  to  exact  neatness  and  method,  as  if  a  grand  company  was 
expected.  When  the  servant  is  required  to  do  this  daily,  he 
soon  gets  into  the  habit  of  doing  it  well;  and  his  mistress  hav¬ 
ing  made  arrangements  for  him  in  the  morning,  there  is  no  fear 
of  bustle  and  confusion  in  running  after  things  that  may  be 
called  for  during  the  hour  of  dinner.  When  the  kitchen  break¬ 
fast  is  over,  and  the  cook  has  put  all  things  in  their  proper 
places,  the  mistress  should  go  in  to  give  her  orders.  Let  all 
the  articles  intended  for  the  dinner,  pass  in  review  before  her: 
have  the  butter,  sugar,  flour,'  meal,  lard,  given  out  in  prope? 
quantities;  the  catsup,  spice,  wine,  whatever  may  be  wanted 


VI 


INTRODUCTION. 


for  each  dish,  measured  to  the  cook.  The  mistress  must  tax 
her  own  memory  with  all  this:  we  have  no  right  to  expect 
slaves  or  hired  servants  to  be  more  attentive  to  ©ur  interest 
than  we  ourselves  are:  they  *.v<ll  never  recollect  these  little 
articles  until  they  are  going  to  use  them;  the  mistress  must  then 
be  called  out,  and  thus  have  the  horrible  drudgery  of  keeping 
house  all  day,  when  one  hour  devoted  to  it  in  the  morning, 
would  release  her  from  trouble  until  the  next  day.  There  is 
economy  as  well  as  comfort  in  a  regular  mode  of  doing  business. 
When  the  mistress  gives  out  every  thing,  there  is  no  waste; 
but  if  temptation  be  thrown  in  the  way  of  subordinates,  not 
many  will  have  power  to  resist  it;  besides,  it  is  an  immoral  act 
to  place  them  in  a  situation  which  we  pray  to  be  exempt  from 
ourselves. 

The  prosperity  and  happiness  of  a  family  depend  greatly  on 
the  order  and  regularity  established  in  it.  The  husband,  who 
can  ask  a  friend  to  partake  of  his  dinner  in  full  confidence  of 
finding  his  wife  unruffled  by  the  petty  vexations  attendant  on 
the  neglect  of  household  duties — who  can  usher  his  guest  into 
the  dining-room  assured  of  seeing  that  methodical  nicety  which 
is  the  essence  of  true  elegance, — will  feel  pride  and  exultation 
in  the  possession  of  a  companion,  who  gives  to  his  home  charms 
that  gratify  every  wish  of  his  soul,  and  render  the  haunts  of 
dissipation  hateful  to  him.  The  sons  bred  in  such  a  family  will 
be  moral  men,  of  steady  habits;  and  the  daughters,  if  the 
mother  shall  have  performed  the  duties  of  a  parent  in  the  su¬ 
perintendence  of  their  education,  as  faithfully  as  she  has  lone 
those  of  a  wife,  will  each  be  a  treasure  to  her  husband;  and 
being  formed  on  the  model  of  an  exemplary  mother,  will  use 
the  same  means  for  securing  the  happiness  of  her  own  family, 
which  she  has  seen  successfully  practised  under  the  paternal 
roof. 


CONTEXTS. 


SOUPS. 

Vage 


Asparagus  soup,  13 

Beef  soup,  13 

Gravy  soup,  14 

Soup  with  Bouilli,  15 

Veal  soup,  15 

Oyster  soup,  1 6 

Barley  soup,  16 

Dried  pea  soup,  17 

Green  pea  soup,  17 

Ochra  soup,  17 

Hare  or  Rabbit  soup,  18 

Soup  of  any  kind  of  old  fowl,  1 8 
Catfish  soup,  19 

Onion  soup,  19 

To  dress  turtle,  26 

For  the  soup,  21 

Mock  turtle  soup  of  calf’s 
head,  22 


BEEF. 

Directions  for  curing  beef,  22 
To  dry  beef  for  summer  use,  24 
To  corn  beef  in  hot  weather,  25 
Important  observations  on 
roasting,  boiling,  frying, 
he.  ‘  26 

Beef  a-la-mode,  29 

Brisket  of  beef  baked,  29 
Beef  olives,  29 

To  stew  a  rump  of  beef,  30 
A  fricando  of  beef,  30 

An  excellent  method  of 
dressing  beef,  31 

To  collar  a  flank  of  beef,  31 
To  make  hunter’s  beef,  31 
A  nice  little  dish  of  beef,  32 
Beef  steaks,  32 

To  hash  beef,  33 

Beef  steak  pie,  33 

Beef  a-la-daube,  33 


VEAL. 

„  ,  .  Pas* 


Directions  for  the  pieces 
in  the  different  quarters 
of  veal,  34 

Veal  cutlets  from  the  fillet 
or  leg,  34 

Veal  chops,  35 

Veal  cutlets,  35 

Knuckle  of  veal,  *  36 

Baked  fillet  of  veal,  36 

Scotch  collops  of  veal,  36 

Veal  olives,  37 

Ragout  of  a  breast  tf  veal,  37 
Fricando  of  veal,  37 

To  make  a  pie  of  sweet¬ 
breads  and  o/sters,  38 

Mock  turtle  of  calf's  head,  38 
To  grill  a  calf’s  head,  39 

To  collar  a  calf’s  head,  40 

Calf’s  heart,  a  nice  dish,  40 

Calf's  feet  fricassee,  41 

To  fry  calf’s  feet,  41 

To  prepare  rennet,  41 

To  hash  a  calf’s  head,  42 

To  bake  a  calf’s  head,  42 

To  stuff  and  roast  calf’s  liver,  43 
To  broil  calf’s  liver,  43 

Directions  for  cleaning  calf’s 
head  and  feet,  43 

LAMB. 

To  roast  the  fore-quarter, 
he.  44 

Raked  lamb,  44 

Fried  lamb,  44 

To  dress  lamb’s  head  and 
feet,  44 

MUTTON. 

Boiled  leg  of  mutton,  45 


viii 


CONTENTS 


Page 


Roasted  leg1  of  mutton,  46 

Raked  leg  of  mutton,  46 

Steaks  of  a  leg  of  mutton,  46 

To  harrico  mutton,  46 

Mutton  chops,  47 

Roiled  breast  of  mutton,  47 


Breast  of  mutton  in  ragout,  47 
To  grill  a  breast  of  nrmtton,  47 
Roiled  shoulder  of  mutton,  4-8 
Shoulder  of  mutton  with 


celery  sauce,  48 

Roasted  loin  of  mutton,  48 

PORK. 

To  cure  bacon,  48 

To  make  souse,  50 

Vo  roast  a  pig,  51 

To  barbecue  shote,  51 

To  roast  a  fore-quarter  of 
shote,  52 

To  make  shote  cutlets,  52 

To  corn  shote,  52 

Shote’s  head,  53 

Leg  of  pork  with  pease 
pudding,  53, 

Stewed  chine,  53 

To  toast  a  ham,  54 

To  stuff'  a  ham,  54 

Soused  feet  in  ragout,  54 

To  make  sausages,  54 

To  make  black  puddings,  54 

A  sea  pie,  55 

To  make  paste  for  the  pie,  55 
Bologna  sausages,  55 

FISH. 

To  cure  herrings,  56 

To  bake  sturgeon,  57 

To  make  sturgeon  cutlets,  57 

Sturgeon  steaks,  57 

To  boil  sturgeon,  58 

To  bake  a  shad,  58 

To  boil  a  shad,  58 

To  roast  a  shad,  59 

To  broil  a  shad,  59 

To  boil  rock  fish,  59 

To  fry  perch,  60 


Page 


To  pickle  oysters,  60 

To  make  a  curry  of  catfish,  60 
To  dress  a  cod  s  head  and 
shoulders,  61 

To  make  sauce  for  the 
cod’s  head,  61 

To  dress  a  salt  cod,  62 

Matelote  of  any  kind  of 
firm  fish,  62 

Chowder,  a  sea  dish,  63 

To  pickle  sturgeon,  63 

To  caveach  fish,  64 

To  dress  cod  fish,  64 

Cod  fish  pie,  64 

To  dress  any  kind  of  salted 
fish,  65 

To  fricassee  cod  sounds  and 
tongues,  65 

An  excellent  way  to  dress 
fish,  66 

Fish  a -la- daub,  66 

Fish  in  jelly,  66 

To  make  egg  sauce  for  a 
salt  cod,  67 

To  dress  cod  sounds,  67 

To  stew  carp,  67 

'Vo  boil  eels,  68 

To  pitchcock  eels,  68 

To  broil  eels,  63 

To  scollop  oysters,  68 

To  fry  oysters,  _  69 

To  make  oyster  loaves,  69 

POULTRY,  &c. 

To  i-oast-a  goose,  69 

To  make  sauce  for  a  goose,  70 
To  boil  ducks  with  onion 
sauce,  70 

To  make  onion  sauce,  70 

To  roast  ducks,  70 

To  boil  a  turkey  with  oys¬ 
ter  sauce,  71 

To  make  sauce  for  a  turkey ,72 
To  roa^t  a  turkev,  72 

To  make  sauce  for  a  turkey,  72 
To  boil  fowls,  73 

To  make  white  sauce  for 
fowls. 


73 


CONTENTS 


IX 


Page 


Fricassee  of  small  chickens,  74 
To  roast  large  fowls,  74 

To  make  egg  sauce,  74 

To  boil  young  chickens,  75 

To  roast  young  chickens,  75 

Fried  chickens,  75 

To  roast  woodcocks  or 
snipes,  76 

To  roast  wild  ducks  or  teal,  76 
To  boil  pigeons,  76 

To  roast  pigeons,  77 

To  roast  partridges  or  any 
small  birds,  77 

To  boil  rabbits,  77 

To  roast  rabbits,  78 

To  stew  wild  ducks,  78 

To  dress  ducks  wkh  juice 
of  oranges,  79 

To  dress  ducks  with  onions,  79 
To  roast  a  calf’s  head,  79 

To  make  a  dish  of  curry 
after  the  East  Indian 
manner,  80 

Dish  of  rice  to  be  served 
up  with  the  curry,  in  a 
dish  by  itself,  80 

Ochra  and  tomatos,  81 

Gumbo — a  West  India  dish,  81 
Pepperpot,  81 

Spanish  method  of  dress¬ 
ing  giblets,  82 

Paste  for  meat  dumplins,  82 
To  make  an  olio — a  Span¬ 
ish  dish,  83 

Ropa  veija — Spanish,  83 

Chicken  pudding,  a  fa¬ 
vourite  Virginia  dish,  83 

To  make  polenta,  84 

Macaroni,  84 

Mock  macaroni,  84 

To  make  croquets,  85 

To  make  vermicelli,  85 

Common  patties,  85 

Eggs  in  croquets,  86 

Omelette  souffle,  '  86 

Fondus,  86 

A  nice  twelve  o’clock  lun¬ 
cheon,  87 


Eggs  a-la-creme,  87 

Sauce  a-la-creme  for  the 
eggs,  87 

Cabbage  a-la-creme,  88 

To  make  an  omelette,  88 

Omelette — another  way,  88 

Gaspacho — Spanish,  89 

Eggs  and  tomatos,  89 

To  fricassee  eggs,  89 


SAUCES. 

Fish  sauce  to  keep  a  year, 
Sauce  for  wild  fowl, 

Sauce  for  boiled  rabbits. 
Gravy, 

Forcemeat  balls,* 

Sauce  for  boiled  ducks  or 
rabbits, 

Lobster  sauce, 

Shrimp  sauce, 

Oyster  sauce  for  fish, 
Celery  sauce, 

Mushroom  sauce, 

Common  sauce, 

To  melt  butter, 

Caper  sauce, 

Oyster  catsup, 

Celery  vinegar, 

VEGETABLES. 


To  dress  salad,  95 

To  boil  potatos,  96 

To  fry  sliced  potatos,  97 

Potatos  mashed,  98 

Potatos  mashed  with  onions, 98 
To  roast  potatos,  98 

To  roast  potatos  under  meat,  98 
Potato  balls,  99 

Jerusalem  artichokes,  99 
Cabbage,  99 

Savoys,  100 

Sprouts  and  young  gi;ecns,  100 
Asparagus,  10(/ 

Sea-kale,  101 

To  scollop  t  omatos,  101 

To  stew  *o«,  101 


90 

90 

90 

90 

91 

91 

92 
92 
92 

92 

93 
93 

93 

94 

94 

95 


1* 


Cauliflower, 

Red  beet  roots, 

Parsnips, 

Carrots, 

Turnips, 

To  mash  turnips. 

Turnip  tops, 

French  beans. 

Artichokes, 

Brocoli, 

Peas, 

Puree  of  turnips, 

Rag-out  of  turnips, 

Rag-out  of  French  beans, 
snaps,  string  beans, 
Mazagan  beans, 

Lima,  or  sugar  beans. 
Turnip  rooted  cabbage, 
Egg  plant, 

Potato  pumpkin, 

Sweet  potato, 

Sweet  potatos  stewed. 
Sweet  potatos  broiled. 
Spinach, 

Sorrel, 

Cabbage  pudding, 

Squash  or  cimlin, 

Wi  nter  squash, 

Field  peas, 

Cabbage  with  onions, 
Salsify, 

Stewed  salsify. 

Stewed  mushrooms, 
Broiled  mushrooms. 

To  boil  rice. 

Rice  journey,  or  johnny 
cake, 

PUDDINGS,  &c. 


Observations  on  puddings 
and  cakes,  113 

Rice  milk  for  a  dessert,  115 

To  make  puff  paste,  115 

To  make  mince-meat  for 
pies,  *  115 

To  make  jelly  from  feet,  116 


Pa& 


A  sweet-meat  pudding,  117 

To  make  an  orange  pud¬ 
ding,  117 

An  apple  custard,  118 

Boiled  loaf,  118 

Transparent  pudding,  118 

Flummery,  119 

Burnt  Custard,  119 

An  English  plum  pudding,  119 
Marrow  pudding,  120 

Sippet  pudding,  120 

Sw'eet  potato  pudding,  120 

An  arrow  root  pudding,  121 
Sago  pudding,  121 

Puff  pudding,  121 

Rice  pudding,  121 

Plum  pudding,  122 

Almond  pudding,  122 

Quire  of  paper  pancakes,  123 
A  curd  pudding,'  123 

Lemon  pudding,  123 

Bread  pudding,  124 

The  Henrietta  pudding,  124 

Tansey  pudding,  124 

Cherry  pudding,  125 

Apple  pie,  125 

Baked  apple  pudding,  125 

A  nice  boiled  pudding,  125 

An  excellent  and  cheap 
dessert  dish,  126 

Sliced  apple  pudding,  126 

Baked  Indian  meal  pud¬ 
ding,  126 

Boiled  Indian  meal  pud¬ 
ding,  127 

Pumpkin  pudding,  127 

Fayette  pudding,  127 

Maccaroni  pudding,  127 

Potato  paste,  128 

Compote  of  apples,  128 

Charlotte,  128 

Apple  fritters,  129 

Bell  fritters,  129 

Bread  fritters,  130 

Spanish  fritters,  130 

To  make  mush,  130 


CONTENTS. 

Page 
101 

102 
102 
103 
103 
103 

103 

104 

104 

105 
lu5 

1 05 

106 

106 
106 
107 

107 

108 
103 
108 
109 
109 
109 

109 

110 
110 
110 
111 
111 
111 
111 
112 
112 
112 


113 


CONTENTS. 


Page 


CAKES. 

Jumba’s,  130 

Macaroone,  131 

To  make  drop  biscuit,  131 

Tavern  biscuit,  131 

Rusk,  131 

Ginger  bread,  132 

Plebeian  gingerbread,  132 

Sugar  ginger  bread,  132 

Dough  nuts — a  yankee 
cake,  133 

Risen  chke,  133 

Pound  cake,  133 

Savoy,  or  spungp  cake,  134 

A  rich  fruit  cake,  134 

Naples  biscuit,  135 

Shrewsbury  cakes,  135 

Little  plum  cakes,  135 

Soda  cakes,  136 

To  make  bread,  136 

To  make  nice  biscuit,  137 

Rice  bread,  137 

Mixed  bread,  137 

Patent  yeast,  137 

To  prepare  the  cakes,  138 

Another  method  for  mak¬ 
ing  yeast,  138 

Nice  buns,  138 

Muffins,  139 

French  rolls,  139 

Crumpets,  139 

Apoquiniminc  cakes,  139 

Batter  cakes,  140 

Batt*.”  bread,  140 

Cream  „'akes,  140 

Soufle  biscuits,  140 

Corn  meal  bread,  141 

Sweet  potato  buns,  141 

Rice  woffles,  141 

Velvet  cakes,  141 

Chocolate  cakes,  141 

Wafers,  142 

Buckwheat  cakes,  142 

Observations  on  ice  creams,  142 
Ice  creams,  143 

Vanilla  cream,  143 

Raspberry  cream,  143 


Strawberry  cream, 

Pagt 

144 

Cocoa  nut  cream, 

14«. 

Chocolate  cream. 

Uk 

Oyster  cream. 

144 

Iced  jelly. 

144 

Peach  cream, 

144 

Coff  ee  cream, 

145 

Quince  cream. 

.145 

Citron  cream, 

145 

Almond  cream, 

146 

Lemon  cream. 

146 

Lemonade  iced, 

146 

To  make  custard, 

146 

To  make  a  trifle, 

147 

Rice  blanc  mange, 

147 

Floating  island, 

147 

Syllabub, 

148 

COLD  CREAMS. 

Lemon  cream, 

148 

Orange  cream, 

148 

Raspberry  cream, 

148 

Tea  cream, 

149 

Sago  cream, 

149 

Barley  cream, 

149 

Gooseberry  fool, 

149 

To  make  slip, 

150 

Curds  and  cream, 

150 

Blanc  mange, 

150 

To  make  a  hen’s  nest, 

151 

Pheasants  a-la-daub. 

151 

Partridges  a-la-daub, 

152 

Chickens  a-la-daub. 

152 

To  make  savoury  jelly. 

152 

Turkey  a-la-daub. 

153 

Salmagundi, 

153 

An  excellent  relish  after 

dinner, 

153 

To  stew  perch, 

154 

PRESERVES. 

Directions  for  making  pre¬ 
serves,  154 

To  preserve  cling-stone 
peaches,  *  155 

I  Cling-stones  sliced,  156 

I  Soft  peaches,  156 


CONTENTS. 


xii 

Page 


Peach  marmalade,  1 56 

Peacli  chips,  156 

Pears,  157 

,  Pear  marmalade,  157 

Quinces,  157 

Currant  jelly,  158 

Quince  jelly,  158 

Quince  marmalade,  158 

Cherries,  159 

Morello  cherries,  159 

To  dry  cherries,  159 

Raspberry  jam,  160 

To  preserve  strawberries,  160 

Strawberry  jam,  160 

Gooseberries,  160 

Apricots  in  brandy,  160 

Peaches  in  brandy,  161 

Cherries  in  brandy,  161 

Magnum  bonum  plums  in 
brandy,  161 

PICKLING. 

Lemon  pickle,  161 

Tomato  catsup,  162 

Tomato  marmalade,  162 

Tomato  sweet  marmalade,  162 
Tomato  soy,  163 

Pepper  vinegar,  163 

Mushroom  catsup,  164 

Tarragor.  or  astragon 
vinegar,  164 

Curry  powder,  164 

To  pickle  cucumbers,  164 

Oil  mangos,  165 

To  make  the  stuffing$*or 
forty  melons,  165 

To  make  yellow  pickle,  166 

To  make  green  pickles,  166 

To  prepare  vinegar  for 
green  or  yellow  pickle,  167 

To  pickle  onions,  167 

To  pickle  nastertiums,  167 

To  pickle  radish  pods,  168 

To  pickle  English  walnuts,  168 


Page 


To  pickle  peppers,  168 

To  make  walnut  catsup,  169 

To  pickle  green  nectar¬ 
ines,  or  apricots,  169 

To  pickle  asparagus,  169 

Observations  on  pickling,  169 


CORDIALS,  &c. 


Ginger  wfne,  170 

Orgeat,  170 

Cherry  shrub,  171 

Currant  wine,  171 

To  make  cherry  brandy,  172 
Rose  brandy,  172 

Peach  cordial,  172 

Raspberry  cordial,  173 

Raspberry  vinegar,  173 

Mint  cordial,  173 

Hydromel,  or  mead,  174 

To  make  a  substitute  for 
arrack,  ]  74 

Lemon  cordial,  174 

Ginger  beer,  175 

Spruce  beer,  175 

Molasses  beer,  175 

To  keep  lemon  juice,  176 

Sugar  vinegar,  176 

Honey  vinegar,  176 

Syrup  of  vinegar,  177 

Aromatic  vinegar,  177 

Vinegar  of  the  four  thieves,  177 
Lavender  water,  177 

Hungarian  water,  178 

To  prepare  cosmetic  soap 
for  washing  the  hands,  178 
Cologne  water,  178 

Soft  pomatum,  178 

To  make  soap,  178 

To  make  starch,  179 

To  dry  herbs,  180 

To  clean  silver  utensils,  180 
To  make  blacking,  180 


To  clean  knives  and  forks,  180 


vm 


VIRGINIA  housewife: 

or, 

METHODICAL  COOK. 


SOUPS 


ASPARAGUS  SOUP. 

Take  four  large  bunches  of  asparagus,  scrape  it 
nicely,  cut  off  one  inch  of  the  tops,  and  lay  them  in 
water,  chop  the  stalks  and  put  them  on  the  fire  with 
a  piece  of  bacon,  a  large  onion  cut  up,  and  pepper 
and  salt;  add  two  quarts  of  water,  boil  them  till  the 
stalks  are  quite  soft,  then  pulp  them  through  a  sieve, 
and  strain  the  water  to  it,  which  must  be  put  back  in 
the  pot;  put  into  it  a  chicken  cut  up,  with  the  tops  of 
asparagus  which  had  been  laid  by,  boil  it  until  these 
last  articles  are  sufficiently  done,  thicken  with  flour, 
butter  and  milk,  and  serve  it  up. 


BEEF  SOUP. 

Take  the  hind  shin  of  beef,  cut  ofl  all  the  flesh 
off  the  leg-bone,  which  must  be  taken  away  entirely, 
or  the  soup  will  be  greasy.  Wash  the  meat  clean  and 


14  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

lay  it  in  a  pot,  sprinkle  over  it  one  small  table-spoon¬ 
ful  of  pounded  black  pepper,  and  two  of  salt;  three 
onions  the  size  of  a  hen’s  egg,  cut  small,  six  small 
carrots  scraped  and  cut  up,  two  small  turnips  pared 
and  cut  into  dice;  pour  on  three  quarts  of  water,  cover 
the  pot  close,  and  keep  it  gently  and  steadily  boiling 
five  hours,  which  will  leave  about  three  pints  of  clear 
soup;  do  not  let  the  pot  boil  over,  but  take  off  the 
scum  carefully,  as  it  rises.  When  it  has  boiled  four 
hours,  put  in  a  small  bundle  of  thyme  and  parsley, 
and  a  pint  of  celery  cut  small,  or  a  tea-spoonful  of 
celery  seed  pounded.  These  latter  ingredients  would 
lose  their  delicate  flavour  if  boiled  too  much.  Just 
before  you  take  it  up,  brown  it  in  the  following  man¬ 
ner:  put  a  small  table-spoonful  of  nice  brown  sugar 
into  an  iron  skillet,  set  it  on  the  fire  and  stir  it  till  it 
melts  and  looks  very  dark,  pour  into  it  a  ladle  full  of 
the  soup,  a  little  at  a  time;  stirring  it  all  the  while. 
Strain  this  browning  and  mix  it  well  with  the  soup; 
take  out  the  bundle  of  thyme  and  parsley,  put  the 
nicest  pieces  of  meat  in  your  tureen,  and  pour  on  the 
soup  and  vegetables;  put  in  some  toasted  bread  cut  in 
dice,  and  serve  it  up. 


GRAVY  SOUP. 

Get  eight  pounds  of  coarse  lean  beef — wash  it  clean 
and  lay  it  in  your  pot,  put  in  the  same  ingredients  as 
for  the  shin  soup,  with  the  same  quantity  of  water, 
and  follow  the  process  directed  for  that  Strain  the 
soup  through  a  sieve,  and  serve  it  up  clear,  with  no¬ 
thing  more  than  toasted  bread  in  it;  two  table-spoonsful 
of  mushroom  catsup  will  add  i  fine  flavour  to  the  soup 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


15 


SOUP  WITH  BOUILLI. 

Take  the  nicest  part  of  the  thick  brisket  of  beef, 
about  eight  pounds,  put  it  into  a  pot  with  every  thing 
directed  for  the  other  soup;  make  it  exactly  in  the 
same  way, 'only  put  it  on  an  hour  sooner,  that  you  may 
have  time  to  prepare  the  bouilli;  after  it  has  boiled 
five  hours,  take  out  the  beef,  cover  up  the  soup  and  set 
it  near  the  fire  that  it  may  keep  hot.  Take  the  skin 
off  the  beef,  have  the  yelk  of  an  egg  well  beaten,  dip 
a  feather  in  it  and  wash  the  top  of  your  beef,  sprinkle 
over  it  the  crumb  of  stale  bread  finely  grated,  put  it  in 
a  Dutch  oven  previously  heated,  put  the  top  on  with 
coals  enough  to  brown,  but  not  burn  the  beef;  let  it 
stand  nearly  an  hour,  and  prepare  your  gravy  thus: — 
Take  a  sufficient  quantity  of  soup  and  the  vegetables 
boiled  in  it;  add  to  it  a  table-spoonful  of  red  wine, 

ft 

and  two  of  mushroom  catsup,  thicken  with  a  little  bit 
of  butter  and  a  little  bcown  flour;  make  it  very  hot, 
pour  it  in  your  dish,  and  put  the  beef  on  it.  Garnish 
it  with  green  pickle,  cut  in  thin  slices,  serve  up  the 
soup  in  a  tureen  with  bits  of  toasted  bread. 


VEAL  SOUP. 

Put  into  a  pot  three  quarts  of  water,  three  onions 
cut  small,  one  spoonful  of  black  pepper  pounded,  and 
two  of  salt,  with  two  or  three  slices  of  lean  ham;  let 
it  boil  steadily  two  hours;  skim  it  occasionally,  then 
put  into  it  a  shin  of  veal,  let  it  boil  two  hours  longer; 
take  out  the  slices  of  ham,  and  skim  off  the  grease  if 
any  should  rise,  take  a  gill  of  good  cream,  mix  with  it 
two  table-spoonsful  of  flour  very  nicely,  and  the  yelks 
of  two  eggs  beaten  well,  strain  this  mixture,  and  add 


16  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

some  chopped  parsley;  pour  some  soup  un  by  degrees, 
stir  it  well,  and  pour  it  into  the  pot,  continuirrg  to  stir 
until  it  has  boiled  two  or  three  minutes  to  take  off 
the  raw  taste  of  the  eggs.  If  the  cream  be  not  per¬ 
fectly  sweet,  and  the  eggs  quite  new,  the  thickening 
will  curdle  in  the  soup.  For  a  change  you  may  put  a 
dozen  ripe  tomalos  in,  first  taking  off  their  skins,  by 
letting  them  stand  a  few  minutes  in  hot  water,  when 
they  may  be  easily  peeled.  When  made  in  this  way 
you  must  thicken  it  with  the  flour  only.  Any  part  of 
the  veal  may  be  used,  but  the  shin  or  knuckle  is  the 
nicest. 


OYSTER  SOUP. 

Wash  and  drain  two  quarts  of  oysters,  put  them  on 
with  three  quarts  of  water,  three  onions  chopped  up, 
two  or  three  slices  of  lean  ham,  pepper  and  salt;  boil 
it  till  reduced  one-half,  strain  it  through  a  sfieve,  re¬ 
turn  tire  liquid  into  the  pot,  put  in  one  quart  of  fresh 
oysters,  boil  it  till  they  are  sufficiently  done,  and 
thicken  the  soup  with  four  spoonsful  of  flour,  two  gills 
of  rich  cream,  and  the  yelks  of  six  new  laid  eggs 
beaten  well;  boil  it  a  few  minutes  after  the  thickening 
is  put  in.  Take  care  that  it  does  not  curdle,  and  that 
the  flour  is  not  in  lumps;  serve  it  up  with  the  last 
oysters  that  were  put  in.  If  the  flavour  of  thyme  be 
agreeable,  you  may  put  in  a  little,  but  take  care  that  it 
does  not  boil  in  it  long  enough  to  discolour  the  soup. 

BARLEY  SOUP. 

Put  on  three  gills  of  barley,  three  quarts  of  water, 
few  onions  cut  up,  six  carrots  scraped  and  cut  into 
dice,  an  equal  quantity  of  turnips  cut  small;  boil  it 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  17 

gently  two  hours,  then  put  in  four  or  five  pounds  of 
the  rack  or  neck  of  mutton,  a  few  slices  of  lean  ham, 
with  pepper  and  salt;  boil  it  slowly  two  hours  longer 
and  serve  it  up.  Tomatos  are  an  excellent  addition 
to  this  soup. 

DRIED  PEA  SOUP. 

Take  one  quart  of  split  peas,  or  Lima  beans,  which 
are  better;  put  them  in  three  quarts  of  very  soft  water 
with  three  onions  chopped  up,  pepper  and  salt;  boil 
them  two  hours;  mash  them  well  and  pass  them 
through  a  sieve;  return  the  liquid  into  the  pot,  thicken 
it  with  a  large  piece  of  butter  and  flour,  put  in  some 
slices  of  nice  salt  pork,  and  a  large  tea-spoonful  of 
celery  seed  pounded;  boil  it  till  the  pork  is  done,  and 
serve  it  up;  have  some  toasted  bread  cut  into  dice 
and  fried  in  butter,  which  must  be  put  in  the  tureen 
before  you  pour  in  the  soup. 

GREEN  PEA  SOUP. 

Make  it  exactly  as  you  do  the  dried  pea  soup,  only 
in  place  of  the  celery  seed,  put  a  handful  of  mint 
chopped  small,  and  a  pint  of  young  peas,  which  must 
be  boiled  in  the  soup  till  tender;  thicken  it  with  a 
quarter  of  a  pound  of  butter,  and  two  spoonsful  of  flour. 

OCHRA  SOOT. 

Get  two  double  handsful  of  young  ochra,  wash  and 
fclice  it  thin,  add  two  onions  chopped  fine,  put  it  into 
a  gallon  of  wrater  at  a  very  early  hour  in  an  earthen 
pipkin,  or  very  nice  iron  pot;  it  must  be  kept  steadily 
simmering,  but  not  boikng:  put  in  pe*pper  and  salt. 
At  12  o’clock,  put  in  a  handful  of  Lima  beans;  at 
2 


18  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

half-past  one  o’clock,  add  three  young  cimlins  cleaned 
and  cut  in  small  pieces,  a  fowl,  or  knuckle  of  veal,  a 
bit  of  bacon  or  pork  that  has  been  boiled,  and  six  to- 
matos,  with  the  skin  taken  off;  when  nearly  done, 
thicken  with  a  spoonful  of  butter,  mixed  with  one  of 
flour.  Have  rice  boiled  to  eat  with  it. 


HARE  OR  RABBIT  SOUP. 

Out  up  two  hares,  put  them  into  a  pot  with  a  piece 
of  bacon,  two  onions  chopped,  a  bundle  of  thyme  and 
parsley,  which  must  be  taken  out  before  the  soup  is 
thickened,  add  pepper,  salt,  pounded  cloves,  and 
mace,  put  in  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water,  stew  it 
gently  three  hours,  thicken  with  a  large  spoonful  of 
butter,  and  one  of  brown  flour,  with  a  glass  of  red 
wine;  boil  it  a  few  mimites  longer,  and  serve  it  up 
with  the  nicest  parts  of  the  hares.  Squirrels  make 
soup  equally  good,  done  the  same  way. 

SOUP  OF  ANY  KIND  OF  OLD  FOWL, 

The  only  way  in  which  they  are  eatable. 

Put  the  fowls  in  a  coop  and  feed  them  moderately 
for  a  fortnight;  kill  one  and  cleanse  it,  cut  off  the 
legs  and  wings,  and  separate  the  breast  from  the  ribs, 
which,  together  with  the  whole  back,  must  be  thrown 
away,  being  too  gross  and  strong  for  use.  Take  the 
skin  and  fat  from  the  parts  cut  off  which  ane  also  gross. 
Wash  the  pieces  nicely,  and  put  them  on  the  fire  with 
about  a  pound  of  bacon,  a  large  onion  chopped  small, 
some  pepper  and  salt,  a  few  blad.es  of  mace,  a  hand¬ 
ful  of  parsley,  cut  up  very  fine,  and  two  quarts  of 
water,  if  it  be  a  common  fowl  or  duck — a  turkey  will 
require  more  water.  Boil  it  gently  for  three  hours, 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


19 


tie  up  a  small  bunch  of  thyme,  and  let  it  boil  in  it  hal / 
an  hour.,  then  take  it  out.  Thicken  your  soup  with  i 
large  spoonful  of  butter  rubbed  into  two  of  flour,  the 
yelks  of  two  eggs,  and  half  a  pint  of  milk.  Be  care¬ 
ful  not  to  let  it  curdle  in  the  soup. 


CATFISH  SOUP, 

An  excellent  dish  for  those  who  have  not  imbibed  a 
needless  prejudice  against  those  delicious  fish. 

Take  two  large  or  four  small  white  catfish  that 
have  been  caught  in  deep  water,  cut  off  the  heads, 
and  skin  and  clean  the  bodies;  cut  each  in  three  parts, 
put  them  in  a  po*t,  with  a  pound  of  Jean  bacon,  a  large 
onion  cut  up,  a  handful  of  parsley  chopped  small, 
some  pepper  and  salt,  pour  in  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
water,  and  stew  them  till  the  flsh  are  quite  tender  but 
not  broken;  beat  the  yelks  of  four  fresh  eggs,  add  tc 
them  a  large  spoonful  of  butter,  two  of  flour,  and  half 
a  pint  of  rich  milk;  make  all  these  warm  and  thicken 
the  soup,  take  out  the  bacon,  and  put  some  of  the  fish 
in  your  tureen,  pour  in  the  soup,  and  serve  it  up. 


ONION  SOUP. 

Chop  up  twelve  large  onions,  boil  them  in  three 
quarts  of  milk  and  water  equally  mixed,  put  in  a  bit 
of  veal  or  fowl,  and  a  piece  of  bacon  w4th  popper  and 
salt.  When  the  onions  are  boiled  to  pulp,  thicken  it 
with  a  large  spoonful  of  butter  mixed  with  one  of 
flour:  Take  out  the  meat,  and  serve  it  up  with  toasted 
bread  cut  in  small  pieces  in  the  soup. 


20  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

TO  DRESS  TURTLE. 

Kill  it  at  n»ight  in  winter,  and  in  the  morning  m 
summer.  Hang  it  lip  by  the  hind  tins,  cut  off  the 
head  and  let  it  bleed  well.  Separate  the  bottom  shell 
from  the  top,  with  great  care,  lest  the  gall  bladder  be 
broken,  which  must  be  cautiously  taken  out  and  thrown 
away.  Put  the  liver  in  a  bowl  of  water.  Empty 
the  guts  and  lay  them  in  water;  if  there  be  eggs,  put 
them  also  in  water.  It  is  proper  to  have  a  separate 
bowl  of  water  for  each  article.  Cut  all  the  flesh  from 
the  bottom  shell,  and  lay  it  in  water;  then  break  the 
shell  in  two,  put  it  in  a  pot  after  having  washed  it 
clean;  pour  on  as  much  water  as  will  cover  it  entirely, 
add  one  pound  of  middling,  or  flitch  of  bacon,  with 
four  onions  chopped,  and  set  it  on  the  fire  to  boil. 
Open  the  guts,  cleanse  them  perfectly;  take  off  the 
inside  skin,  and  put  them  in  the  pot  with  the  shell; 
let  them  boil  steadily  for  three  hours,  and  if  the  water 
boils  away  too  much,  add  more.  Wash  the  top  shell 
nicely  after  taking  out  the  flesh,  cover  it,  and  set  it 
by.  Parboil  the  fins,  clean  them  nicely — taking  off 
all  the  black  skin,  and  pirt  them  in  water;  cut  the 
flesh  taken  from  the  bottom  and  top  shell,  in  small 
pieces;  cut  the  fins  in  two,  lay  them  with  the  flesh 
in  a  dish;  sprinkle  some  salt  ov*er,  and  cover  them  up. 
When  the  shell,  &c.  is  done,  take  out  the  bacon, 
scrape  the  shell  clean,  and  strain  the  liquor;  about  one 
quart  of  which  must  be  put  back  in  the  pot;  reserve 
the  rest  for  soup;  pick  out  the  guts,  and  cut  them  in 
small  pieces;  take  all  the  nice  bits  that  were  strained 
out,  put  them  with  the  guts  into  the  gravy;  lay  in  the 
fins  cut  in  pieces  with  them,  and  as  much  of  the  flesh 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  21 

will  be  sufficient  to  fill  the  upper  shell;  add  to  it, 
(if  a  large  turtle,)  one  bottle  of  white  wine;  cayenne 
pepper,  and  salt,  to  your  taste,  one  gill  of  mushroom 
catsup,  one  giy  of  lemon  pickle,  mace,  nutmegs  and 
cloves,  pounded,  to  season  it  high.  Mix  two  large 
spoonsful  of  flour  in  one  pound  and  a  quarter  of  but¬ 
ter;  put  it  in  with  thyme,  parsley,  marjoram  and 
savory,  tied  in  bunches;  stew  all  these  together,  till 
the  flesh  and  fins  are  tender;  wash  out  the  top  shell, 
put  a  puff  paste  around  the  brim;  sprinkle  over  the 
shell  pepper  and  salt,  then  take  the  herbs  out  of  the 
stew;  if  the  gravy  is  not  thick  enough,  add  a  little 
more  flour,  and  fill  the  shell;  should  there  be  no  eggs 
in  the  turtle,  boil  six  new  laid  ones  for  ten  minutes, 
put  them  in  cold  water  a  short  time,  peel  them, 
cut  them  in  two,  and  place  them  on  the  turtle;  make 
a  rich  forcemeat,  (see  receipt  for  forcemeat,)  fry  the 
balls  nicely,  and  put  them  also  in  the  shell;  set  it  in 
a  dripping  pan,  with  something  under  the  sides  to 
keep  it  steady;  have  the  oven  heated  as  for  bread,  and 
let  it  remain  in  it  till  nicely  browned.  Fry  the  liver 
and  send  it  in  hot. 


FOR  THE  SOUP. 

At  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  put  on  eight 
pounds  of  coarse  beef,  some  bacon,  onions,  sweet 
herbs,  pepper  and  salt.  Make  a  rich  soup,  strain  it 
and  thicken  with  a  bit  of  butter,  and  brown  flour;  add 
to  it  the  water  left  from  boiling  the  bottom  shell;  sea¬ 
son  it  very  high  with  w  ne,  catsup,  spice  and  cayenne; 
put  in  the  flesh  you  re-erved,  and  if  that  is  not  enough, 
add  the  nicest  parts  of  a  well  boiled  calf’s  head;  but 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


do  not  use  the  eyes  or  tongue;  let  it  boil  till  tender, 
and  serve  it  up  with  fried  forcemeat  balls  in  it. 

If  you  have  curry  powder,  (see  receipt  for  it,)  it 
will  give  a  higher  flavour  to  both  soup  and  turtle,  than 
spice.  Should  you  not  want  soup,  the  remaining 
flesh  may  be  fried,  and  served  with  a  rich  gravy. 

MOCK  TURTLE  SOUP  OF  CALF’S  HEAD. 

Have  a  large  head  cleaned  nicely  without  taking  off 
the  skin,  divide  the  chop  from  the  front  of  the  head, 
take  out  the  tongue,  (which  is  best  when  salted,)  put 
on  the  head  with  a  gallon  of  water,  the  hock  of  a  ham 
or  a  piece  of  nice  pork,  four  or  five  onions,  thyme, 
parsley,  cloves  and  nutmeg,  pepper  and  salt,  boil  all 
these  together  until  the  flesh  on  the  head  is  quite  ten¬ 
der,  then  take  it  up,  cut  all  into  small  pieces,  take  the 
eyes  out  carefully,  strain  the  water  in  which  it  was 
boiled,  add  half  a  pint  of  wine  and  a  gill  of  mushroom 
catsup,  let  it  boil  slowly  till  reduced  to  two  quarts, 
thicken  it  with  two  spoonsful  of  browned  flour  rub¬ 
bed  into  four  ounces  o.f  butter,  put  the  meat  in,  and 
after  stewing  it  a  short  time,  serve  it  up.  The  eyes 
are  a  great  delicacy. 


BEEF. 


DIRECTIONS  FOR  CURING  BEEF. 

Prepare  your  brine  in  the  middle  of  October,  after 
the  following  manner:  get  a  thirty  gallon  cask,  take 
out  one  head,  drive  in  the  bung,  and  put  some  pitch 
on  it,  to  prevent  leaking.  See  that  the  cask  is  quite 
tight  and  clean.  Put  into  it  one  pound  of  saltpetr* 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  23 

powdered,  fifteen  quarts  of  salt,  and  fifteen  gallons  of 
cold  water,  stir  it  frequently,  until  dissolved,  throw 
over  the  cask  a  thick  cloth,  to  keep  out  the  dust;  look 
at  it  often  and  take  off  the  scum.  These  proportions 
have  been  accurately  ascertained — fifteen  gallons  of 
cold  water  will  exactly  hold,  in  solution,  fifteen  quarts 
of  good  clean  Liverpool  salt,  and  one  pound  of  salt¬ 
petre:  this  brine  will  be  strong  enough  to  bear  up  an 
egg:  if  more  salt  be  added,  it  will  fall  to  the  bottom 
without  strengthening  the  brine,  the  water  being  al¬ 
ready  saturated.  This  brine  will  cure  all  the  beef 
which  a  private  family  can  use  in  the  course  of  the 
winter,  and  requires  nothing  more  to  be  done  to  it 
except  occasionally  skimming  the  dross  that  rises.  It 
must  be  kept  in  a  cool,  dry  place.  For  salting  your 
beef,  get  a  molasses  hogshead  and  saw  it  in  two,  that 
the  beef  may  have  space  to  lie  on;  bore  some  holes 
in  the  bottom  of  these  tubs,  and  raise  them  on  one 
side  about  an  inch,  that  the  bloody  brine  may  run  off. 

Be  sure  that  your  beef  is  newly  killed — rub  each 
piece  very  well  with  good  Liverpool  salt — a  vast  deal 
depends  upon  rubbing  the  salt  into  every  part — it  is 
unnecessary  to  put  saltpetre  on  it;  sprinkle  a  good 
deal  of  salt  on  the  bottom  of  the  tub.  When  the  beef 
is  well  salted,  lay  it  in  the  tub,  and  be  sure  you  put 
the  fleshy  side  downward.  Put  a  great  deal  of  salt 
on  your  beef  after  it  is  packed  in  the  tub;  this  pro¬ 
tects  it  from  animals  who  might  eat,  if  they  could 
smell  it,  and  does  not  waste  the  salt,  for  the  beef  can 
only  dissolve  a  certain  portion.  You  must  let  the 
beef  lie  in  salt  ten  days,  then  take  it  out,  brush  off 
the  salt,  and  wipe  it  with  a  damp  cloth;  put  it  in  the 
brine  with  a  bit  of  board  and  weight  to  keep  it  under. 


24 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


In  about  ten  days  it  will  look  red  and  be  fit  for  the 
♦able,  but  it  will  be  red  much  sooner  when  the  brine 
becomes  older.  The  best  time  to  begin  to  salt  beef 
is  the  latter  end  of  October,  if  the  weather  be  cool, 
and  from  that  time  have  it  in  succession.  When 
your  beef  is  taken  out  of  the  tub,  stir  the  salt  about  to 
dry,  that  Lt  may  be  ready  for  the  next  pieces.  Tongues 
are  cured  in  the  same  manner. 


TO  DRY  BEEF  FOR  SUMMER  USE. 

The  best  pieces  for  this  purpose  are  the  thin  brisk¬ 
ets,  or  tha*t  part  of  the  plate  which  is  farthest  from  the 
shoulder  of  the  animal,  the  round  and  rib  pieces 
which  are  commonly  used  for  roasting.  These  should 
not  be  cut  with  long  ribs  and  the  back-bones  must  be 
sawed  off  as  close  as  possible,  that  the  piece  may  lay 
flat  in  the  dish.  About  the  middle  of  February,  select 
your  beef  from  an  animal  wrell  fatted  with  corn,  and 
which,  when  killed,  will  weigh  one  hundred  and  fifty 
per  quarter — larger  oxen  are  always  coarse.  Salt  the 
pieces  as  directed,  let  them  lie  one  fortnight,  then  put 
them  in  brine,  where  they  must  remain  three  weeks: 
take  them  out  at  the  end  of  the  time,  wipe  them  quite 
dry,  rub  them  over  with  bran,  and  hang  them  in  a 
cool,  dry,  and,  if  possible,  dark  place,  that  the  flies 
may  not  get  to  them:  they  must  be  suspended,  and 
not  allowed  to  touch  any  thing.  It  will  be  necessary, 
in  the  course  of  the  summer,  to  look  them  over  oc¬ 
casionally,  and  after  a  long  wet  season,  to  lay  them 
in  the  sun  a  few  hours.  Your  tongues  may  be  dried 
in  the  same  manner:  make  a  little  hole  in  the  root, 
run  a  twine  through  it,  and  suspend  it.  These  dried 
meats  must  be  put  in  a  good  quantity  of  W'ater,  to 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


25 


soak,  the  night  before  they  are  to  be  used.  In  boiling, 
it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  have  a  large  quantity  of 
water  to  put  the  beef  in  while  the  water  is  cold,  to  boil 
steadily,  skimming  the  pot,  until  the  bones  are  ready 
to  fall  out;  and,  if  a  tongue,  till  the  skin  peels  off  with 
perfect  ease:  the  skin  must  also  be  taken  from  the 
beef.  The  housekeeper  who  will  buy  good  ox  beef, 
and  follow  these  directions  exactly,  may  be  assured 
of  always  having  delicious  beef  on  her  table.  Ancient 
prejudice  has  established  a  notion,  that  meat  killed  in 
the  decrease  of  the  moon,  will  draw  up  when  cooked. 
The  true  cause  of  this  shrinking,  may  be  found  in  the 
old  age  of  the  animal,  or  in  its  diseased  state,  at  the 
time  of  killing.  The  best  age  is  from  three  to  five 
years. 

Few  persons  are  aware  of  the  injury  they  sustain, 
by  eating  the  flesh  of  diseased  animals.  None  but 
the  Jewish  butchers,  who  are  paid  exclusively  fo-r  it, 
attend  to  this  important  circumstance.  The  best  rule 
for  judging  that  I  have  been  able  to  discover,  is  the 
colour  of  the  fat.  When  the  fat  of  beef  is  a  high 
shade  of  yellow,  I  reject  it.  If  the  fat  of  veal,  mut¬ 
ton,  lamb  or  pork,  have  the  slightest  tinge  of  yellow, 
I  avoid  it  as  diseased.  The  same  rule  holds  good 
when  applied  to  poultry. 

TO  CORN  BEEF  IN  HOT  WEATHER. 

Take  a  piece  of  thin  brisket  or  plate,  cut  out  the 
ribs  nicely,  rub  it  on  both  sides  well  with  two  large 
spoonsful  of  pounded  saltpetre;  pour  on  it  a  gill  of 
molasses  and  a  quart  of  salt;  rub  them  both  in;  put 
it  in  a  vessel  just  large  enough  to  hold  it,  but  not 
tight,  for  the  bloody  brine  must  run  off  as  it  makes, 


2(5 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


or  the  meat  will  spoil.  Let  it  be  well  covered,  top, 
bottom  and  sides,  with  the  molasses  and  salt.  In  four 
days  you  may  boil  it,  tied  up  in  a  cloth  with  the  salt, 
&c.  about  it:  when  done,  take  the  skin  ofF  nicely,  and 
serve  it  up.  If  you  have  an  ice-house  or  refrigerator, 
it  will  be  best  to  keep  it  there.  A  fillet  or  breast  of 
veal,  and  a  leg  or  rack  of  mutton,  are  excellent  done  in 
the  same  way. 

IMPORTANT  OBSERVATIONS  ON  ROAST¬ 
ING,  BOILING,  FRYING,  &c. 

In  roasting  butchers’  meat,  be  careful  not  to  run  the 
spit  through  the  nice  parts:  let  the  piece  lie  in  water 
one  hour,  then  wrash  it  out,  wipe  it  perfectly  dry,  and 
put  it  on  the  spit.  Set  it  before  a  clear,  steady  fire; 
sprinkle  some  salt  on  it,  and  when  it  becomes  hot, 
baste  it  for  a  time  with  salt  and  water:  then  put  a 
good  spoonful  of  nice  lard  into  the  dripping-pan,  and 
when  melted,  continue  to  baste  with  it.  When  your 
meat,  of  whatever  kind,  has  been  down  some  time, 
but  before  it  begins  to  look  brown,  cover  it  with  paper 
and  baste  on  it;  when  it  is  nearly  done,  take  off  the 
peper,  dredge  it  with  flour,  turn  the  spit  for  some 
minutes  very  quick,  and  baste  all  the  time  to  raise  a 
froth — after  which,  serve  it  up.  When  mutton  is 
roasted,  after  you  take  off  the  paper,  loosen  the  skin 
and  peel  it  off  carefully,  then  dredge  and  froth  it  up 
Beef  and  mutton  must  not  be  roasted  as  much  as  veal, 
lamb,  or  pork;  the  two  last  must  be  skinned  in  the 
manner  directed  for  mutton.  You  may  pour  a  little 
melted  butter  in  the  dish  with  veal,  but  all  the  others 
must  be  served  without  sauce,  and  garnished  with 
norse-radish,  nicely  scraped  Be  careful  not  to  let  a 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

particle  of  dry  flour  be  seen  on  the  meat — it  has  a 
very  ill  appearance.  Beef  may  look  brown,  but  the 
whiter  the  other  meats  are,  the  more  genteel  are  they 
and  if  properly  roasted,  they  may  be  perfectly  done, 
and  quite  white.  A  loin  of  veal,  and  hind  quarter  of 
lamb,  should  be  dished  with  the"' kidneys  uppermost; 
and  be  sure  to  joint  every  thing  that  is  to  be  separated 
at  table,  or  it  will  be  impossible  to  carve  neatly.  For 
those  who  must  have  gravy  with  these  meats,  let  it  be 
made  in  any  way  they  like,  and  served  in  a  boat.  No 
meat  can  be  well  roasted  except  on  a  spit  turned  by  a 
jack,  and  before  a  steady  clear  fire — othe>r  methods  are 
no  better  than  baking.  Many  cooks  are  in  the  habit 
of  half  boiling  the  meats  to  plump  them  as  they  icrin 
it,  before  they  are  spitted,  but  it  destroys  their  fine 
flavour.  Whatever  is  to  be  boiled,  must  be  put  into 
cold  water  with  a  little  salt,  which  will  cook  them 
regularly.  When  they  are  put  in  boiling  water,  the 
outer  side  is  done  too  much,  before  the  inside  gets 
heated.  Nice  lard  is  much  better  than  butter  for  bast¬ 
ing  roasted  meats,  or  for  frying.  To  choose  butchers’ 
meat,  you  must  see  that  the  fat  is  not  yellow,  and  that 
the  lean  parts  are  of  a  fine  close  grain,  a  lively  colour, 
and  will  feel  tender  when  pinched.  Poultry  should 
be  well  covered  with  white  fat;  if  the  bottom  of 
the  breast  bone  be  gristly,  it  is  young,  but  if  it  be  a 
hard  bone,  it  is  an  old  one.  Fish  are  judged  by  the 
liveliness  of  their  eyes,  and  bright  red  of  their  gills. 
Dredge  every  thing  with  flour  before  it  is  put  on  to 
boil,  and  be  sure  to  add  salt  to  the  water. 

Fish,  and  all  other  articles  for  frying,  after  being 
nicely  prepared,  should  be  laid  on  a  board  and  dredged 
with  flour  or  meal  mixed  with  salt:  when  it  beco 


£8 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


dry  on  one  side,  turn  it,  and  dredge  the  other.  Foi 
broiling,  have  very  clear  coals,  sprinkle  a  little  salt 
and  pepper  over  the  pieces,  and  when  done,  dish  them, 
and  pour  over  some  melted  butter  and  chopped  pars¬ 
ley — this  is  for  broiled  veal,  wild  fowl,  birds  or  poul 
try:  beef-steaks  and  mutton  chops  require  only  a 
table-spoonful  of  hot  water  to  be  poured  over.  Slice 
an  onion  in  the  dish  before  you  put  in  the  steaks  or 
chops,  and  garnish  both  with  rasped  horse-radish.  To 
have  viands  served  in  perfection,  the  dishes  should  he 
made  hot,  either  by  setting  them  over  hot  water,  or  by 
putting  some  in  them,  and  the  instant  the  meats  are 
lain  in  and  garnished,  put  on  a.  pewter  dish  cover.  A 
dinner  looks  very  enticing,  when  the  steam  rises  from 
ech  dish  on  removing  the  covers,  and  if  it  be  judi¬ 
ciously  ordered ,  will  have  a  double  relish.  Profusion 
is  not  elegance — a  dinner  justly  calculated  f<ir  the 
company,  and  consisting  for  the  greater  part  of  small 
articles,  correctly  prepared,  and  neatly  served  up,  will 
*nake  a  much  more  pleasing  appearance  to  the  sight, 
and  give  a  far  greater  gratification  to  the  appetite,  than 
a  table  loaded  with  food,  and  from  the  multiplicity  of 
dishes,  unavoidably  neglected  in  the  preparation,  and 
served  up  cold. 

There  should  always  be  a  supply  of  brown  flour 
kept  in  readiness  to  thicken  brown  gravies,  which 
must  be  prepared  in  the  following  manner:  put  a  pin* 
of  flour  in  a  Dutch  oven,  with  some  coals  under  it; 
keep  constantly  stirring  it  until  it  is  uniformly  of  a 
dark  brown,  but  none  of  it  burnt,  which  would  look 
like  dirt  in  the  gravy.  All  kitchens  should  be  pro¬ 
vided  with  a  saw  for  trimming  meat,  and  also  with 
larding  needles. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


29 


BEEF  A-LA-MODE. 

Take  the  bone  from  a  round  of  beef,  fill  the  space 
with  a  forcemeat  made  of  the  crumbs  of  a  stale  loaf, 
four  ounces  of  marrow,  two  heads  of  garlic  chopped 
with  thyme  and  parsley,  some  nutmeg,  cloves,  pepper 
and  salt,  mix  it  to  a  paste  with  the  yelks  of  four  eggs 
beaten,  stuff  the  lean  part  of  the  round  with  it,  and 
make  balls  of  the  remainder;  sew  a  fillet  of  strong 
linen  wide  enough  to  keep  it  round  and  compact,  put 
it  in  a  vessel  just  sufficiently  large  to  hold  it,  add  a 
pint  of  red  wine,  cover  it  with  sheets  of  tin  or  iron, 
set  it  in  a  brick  oven  properly  heated,  and  bake  it 
three  hours;  when  done,  skim  the  fat  from  the  gravy, 
thicken  it  with  brown  flour,  add  some  mushroom  and 
walnut  catsup,  and  serve  it  up  garnished  with  force¬ 
meat  balls  fried.  It  is  still  better  when  eaten  cold 
with  sallad. 


BRISKET  OF  BEEF  BAKED. 

Bone  a  brisket  of  beef,  and  make  holes  in  it  with  a 
sharp  knife  about  an  inch  apart,  fill  them  alternately 
with  fat  bacon,  parsley  and  oysters,  all  chopped  small 
and  seasoned  with  pounded  cloves  and  nutmeg,  pep¬ 
per  and  salt,  dredge  it  well  with  flour,  lay  it  in  a  pan 
with  a  pint  of  red  wine  and  a  large  spoonful  of  lemon 
pickle;  bake  it  three  hours,  take  the  fat  from  the  gravy 
and  strain  it;  serve  it  up  garnished  with  greer  pickles. 


BEEF  OLIVES. 

Cut  slices  from  a  fat  rump  of  beef  six  inches  long 
ap.d  half  an  inch  thick,  beat  them  well  with  a  pestle; 


30  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE 

make  a  forcemeat  of  bread  crumbs,  fat  bacon  chopped 
parsley,  a  little  onion,  some  shred  suet,  pounded  mace, 
pepper  and  salt;  mix  it  up  with  the  yelks  of  eggs, 
and  spread  a  thin  layer  over  each  slice  of  beef,  roll  it 
up  tight,  and  secure  the  rolls  with  skewers,  set  them 
before  the  fire,  and  turn  them  till  they  are  a  nice  brown; 
have  ready  a  pint  of  good  gravy,  thickened  with 
brown  flour  and  a  spoonful  of  butter,  a  gill  of  red 
wine,  with  two  spoonsful  of  mushroom  catsup,  lay 
the  rolls  in  it,  and  stew  them  till  tender;  garnish  with 
forcemeat  balls. 


TO  STEW  A  RUMP  OF  BEEF. 

Take  out  as  much  of  the  bone  as  can  be  done  with 
a  saw,  that  it  may  lie  flat  on  the  dish,  stuff  it  with 
forcemeat  made  as  before  directed,  lay  it  in  a  pot  with 
two  quarts  of  water,  a  pint  of  red  wine,  some  carrots 
and  turnips  cut  in  small  pieces  and  stewed  over  it,  a 
head  of  cellery  cut  up,  a  few  cloves  of  garlic,  some 
pounded  cloves,  pepper  and  salt,  stew  it  gently  till 
sufficiently  done,  skim  the  fat  off,  thicken  the  gravy, 
and  serve  it  up;  garnish  with  little  bits  of  puff  paste 
nicely  baked,  and  scraped  horse-radish. 


A  FRICANDO  OF  BEEF. 

Out  a  few  slices  of  beef  six  inches  long,  two  or 
three  wide,  and  one  thick,  lard  them  with  bacon, 
dredge  them  well,  and  make  them  a  nice  brown  before 
a  brisk  fire;  stew  them  half  an  hour  in  a  well  seasoned 
gravy,  put  some  stewed  sorrel  or  spinage  in  the  dish, 
lay  on  the  beef,  and  pour  over  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
gravy;  garnish  with  fried  balls. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


31 


AN  EXCELLENT  METHOD  OF  DRESSING 

BEEF. 

Tare  a  rib  roasting  piece  that  has  been  hanging  ten 
days  or  a  fortnight,  bone  it  neatly,  rub  some  salt  over 
t  and  roll  it  tight,  binding  it  around  with  twine,  put 
the  spit  through  the  inner  fold  without  sticking  it  in 
the  flesh,  skewer  it  well  and  roast  it  nicely;  when 
nearly  done,  dredge  and  froth  it;  garnish  with  scraps 
horse-radish. 


TO  COLLAR  A  FLANK  OF  BEEF. 

Get  a  nice  flank  of  beef,  rub  it  well  with  a  large 
portion  of  saltpetre  and  common  salt,  let  it  remain 
ten  days,  then  wash  it  clean,  take  off  the  outer  and 
inner  skin  with  the  gristle,  spread  it  on  a  board,  and 
cover  the  inside  with  the  following  mixture:  parsley, 
sage,  thyme  chopped  fine,  pepper,  salt  and  pounded 
cloves;  roil  it  up,  sew  a  cloth  over  it,  and  bandage  that 
with  tape,  boil  it  gently  five  or  six  hours,  when  cold, 
lay  it  on  a  board  without  undoing  it,  put  another  board 
on  the  top,  with  a  heavy  weight  on  it;  let  it  remain 
twenty-four  hours,  take  off  the  bandages,  cut  a  thin 
slice  from  each  end,  serve  it  up  garnished  with  green 
pickle  and  sprigs  of  parsley. 

TO  MAKE  HUNTERS’  BEEF. 

Select  a  fine  fat  round  weighing  about  twenty-five 
pounds,  take  three  ounces  saltpetre,  one  ounce  of 
cloves,  half  an  ounce  of  alspice,  a  large  nutmeg,  and 
a  quart  of  salt;  pound  them  all  together  very  fine,  take 
the  bone  out,  rub  it  well  with  this  mixture  on  both 
rides,  put  some  of  it  at  the  bottom  of  a  tub  just  large 


♦*52  THE  VIRGINIA  HOJSEWIFE. 

enough  to  hold  the  beef,  lay  it  in  and  strew  the  re¬ 
mainder  on  the  top,  rub  it  well  every  day  for  two 
weeks,  and  spread  the  mixture  over  it;  at  the  end  of 
this  time,  wash  the  beef,  bind  it  with  tape,  to  keep 
it  round  and  compact,  filling  the  hole  where  the  bone 
was  with  a  piece  of  fat,  lay  it  in  a  pan  of  convenient 
size,  strew  a  little  suet  over  the  top,  and  pour  on  it  a 
pint  of  water,  cover  the  pan  with  a  coarse  crust  and  a 
thick  paper  over  that,  it  will  take  five  hours  baking; 
when  cold  take  off  the  tape.  It  is  a  delicious  relish 
at  twelve  o’clock,  or  for  supper,  eaten  with  vinegar, 
mustard,  oil,  or  sallad.  Skim  the  grease  from  the 
gravy  and  bottle  it;  it  makes  an  excellent  seasoning 
for  any  made  dish. 

A  NICE  LITTLE  DISH  OF  BEEF. 

Mince  cold  roast  beef,  fat  and  lean,  very  fine,  add 
chopped  onion,  pepper,  salt,  and  a  little  good  gravy, 
fill  scollop  shells  two  parts  full,  and  fill  them  up  with 
potatos  mashed  smooth  with  cream,  put  a  bit  of  but¬ 
ter  on  the  top,  and  set  them  in  an  oven  to  brown. 

BEEF  STEAKS. 

The  best  part  of  the  beef  for  steaks,  is  the  seventh 
and  eighth  ribs,  the  fat  and  lean  are  better  mixed,  and 
it  is  more  tender  than  the  rump  if  it  be  kept  long 
enough;  cut  the  steaks  half  an  inch  thick,  heat  them 
a  little,  have  fine  clear  coals,  rub  the  bars  of  the  grid¬ 
iron  with  a  cloth  dipped  in  lard  before  you  put  it  over 
the  coals,  that  none  may  drip  to  cause  a  bad  smell, 
put  no  salt  on  till  you  dish  them,  broil  them  quick, 
turning  them  frequently;  the  dish  must  be  very  hot, 
put  some  slices  of  onion  in  it,  lay  in  the  steaks,  sprin 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  33 

kle  a  little  salt,  and  pour  over  them  a  spoonful  of 
water  and  one  of  mushroom  catsup,  both  made  boiling 
hot,  garnish  with  scraped  horse-radish,  and  put  on  a 
hot  dish  cover.  Every  thing  must  be  in  readiness*  for 
the  great  excellence  of  a  beef  steak  lies  in  having  it 
immediately  from  the  gridiron. 

TO  HASH  BEEF. 

Cut  slices  of  raw  beef,  put  them  in  a  stew  pan 
with  a  little  watei*,  some  catsup,  a  clove  of  garlic, 
pepper  and  salt,  stew  them  till  done,  thicken  the  gravy 
with  a  lump  of  butter  rubbed  into  brown  flour.  A 
hash  may  be  made  of  any  kind  of  meat  that  has  been 
cooked,  but  it  is  not  so  good,  and  it  is  necessary  to 
have  a  gravy  prepared  and  seasoned,  and  keep  the 
hash  over  the  fire  only  a  few  minutes  to  make  it  hot. 

BEEF  STEAK  PIE. 

Cut  nice  steaks,  and  stew  them  till  half  done,  put 
a  puff  paste  in  the  dish,  lay  in  the  steaks  with  a  few 
slices  of  boiled  ham,  season  the  gravy  very  high,  pour 
it  in  the  dish,  put  on  a  lid  of  paste  and  bake  it. 

BEEF  A-LA-DAUBE. 

Get  a  round  of  beef,  lard  it  well,  and  put  it  in  a 
Dutch  oven;  cut  the  meat  from  a  shin  of  beef,  or  any 
coarse  piece  in  thin  slices,  put  round  the  sides  and 
over  the  top  some  slices  of  bacon,  salt,  pepper,  onion, 
thyme,  parsley,  cellery  tops,  or  seed  pounded,  and 
some  carrots  cut  small,  strew  the  pieces  of  beef  over, 
cover  it  with  water,  let  it  stew  very  gently  till  per¬ 
fectly  done,  take  out  the  round,  strain  the  gravy,  let  it 

stand  to  be  cold,  take  off  the  grease  carefully,  beat 
3 


34  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE 

the  whites  of  four  eggs,  mix  a  little  water  with  them! 
put  them  to  the  gravy,  let  it  boil  till  it  looks  clear, 
strain  it,  and  when  cold,  put  it  over  the  beef. 

K 

VEAL. 


DIRECTIONS  FOR  THE  PIECES  IN  THE  DIF¬ 
FERENT  QUARTERS  OF  VEAL. 

A  loin  of  veal  must  always  be  roasted:  the  fillet  or 
leg  may  be  dressed  in  various  ways,  the  knuckle  or 
knee  is  proper  for  soup  or  for  boiling;  these  are  the 
pieces  that  oompose  the  hind  quarter.  In  the  fore 
quarter,  the  breast  and  rack  admit  variety  in  cooking; 
the  shoulder  and  neck  are  only  fit  for  soup. 

VEAL  CUTLETS  FROM  THE  FILLET  OR  LEG. 

Cut  off  the  flank  and  take  the  bone  out,  then  take 
slices  the  size  of  the  fillet  and  half  an  inch  thick,  beat 
two  yelks  of  eggs  light,  and  have  some  grated  bread 
mixed  with  pepper,  salt,  pounded  nutmeg  and  chopped 
parsley;  beat  the  slices  a  little,  lay  them  on  a  board 
and  wash  the  upper  side  with  the  egg,  cover  it  thick 
with  the  bread  crumbs,  press  them  on  with  a  knife, 
and  let  them  stand  to  dry  a  little,  that  they  may  not 
fall  off  in  frying,  then  turn  them  gently,  put  egg  and 
crumbs  on  in  the  same  manner,  put  them  into  a  pan 
of  boiling  lard,  and  fry  them  a  light  brown;  have 
some  good  gravy  ready,  season  it  with  a  tea-spoonful 
of  curry  powder,  a  large  one  of  wine,  and  one  or 
lemon  pickle,  thicken  with  butter  and  brown  flour, 
drain  every  drop  of  lard  from  the  cutlets,  lay  them  in 
the  gravy,  and  stew  them  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes, 
serve  them  up  garnished  with  lemon  cut  in  thin  slices 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


35 


VEAL  CHOPS. 

Take  the  best  end  of  a  rack  of  veal,  cut  it  in  chops, 
with  one  bone  in  each,  leave  the  small  end  of  the 
bone  bare  two  inches,  beat  them  flat,  and  prepare  them 
with  eggs  and  crumbs,  as  the  cutlets,  butter  some 
half-sheets  of  white  paper,  wrap  one  round  each  chop, 
skewer  it  well,  leaving  the  bare  bone  out,  broil  them 
till  done,  and  take  care  the  paper  does  not  burn;  have 
nice  white  sauce  in  a  boat. 


VEAL  CUTLETS. 

Cut  them  from  the  fillet,  put  them  in  a  stew  pan 
with  a  piece  of  nice  pork,  a  clove  of  garlic,  a  bundle 
of  thyme  and  parsley,  pepper  and  salt,  cover  them 
with  water  and  let  them  stew  ten  or  fifteen  minutes, 
lay  them  on  a  dish,  and  when  cold  cover  them  well 
with  the  crumb  of  stale  bread  finely  grated,  mixed 
with  the  leaves  of  parsley  chopped  very  small,  some 
pepper,  salt  and  grated  nutmeg;  press  these  on  the 
veal  with  a  knife,  and  when  a  little  dried,  turn  it  and 
do  the  same  to  the  other  side;  put  a  good  quantity  of 
lard  in  a  pan,  when  it  boils  lay  the  cutlets  in  carefully 
that  the  crumbs  may  not  fall;  fry  them  a  little  brown, 
lay  them  on  a  strainer  to  drain  off  the  grease,  do  the 
same  with  the  crumbs  that  have  fallen  in  the  pan; 
while  this  is  doing,  simmer  the  water  they  were  boiled 
in  to  half  a  pint,  strain  it  and  thicken  with  four  ounces 
of  butter  and  a  little  browned  flour;  add  a  gill  of 
wine  and  one  of  mushroom  catsup,  put  in  the  cut¬ 
lets  and  crumbs,  and  stew  till  tender;  add  forcemeat 
balls 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE 


KNUCKLE  OF  VEAL. 

Boil  a  half  pint  of  pearl  barley  in  salt  and  water  till 
quite  tender,  drain  the  water  from  it  and  stir  in  a 
piece  of  butter,  put  it  in  a  deep  dish;  have  the  knuckle 
nicely  boiled  in  milk  and  water,  and  lay  it  on  the  bar¬ 
ley,  pour  some  parsley  and  butter  over  it. 


BAKED  FILLET  OF  VEAL. 

Take  the  bone  out  of  the  fillet,  wrap  the  flap  around 
and  sew  it,  make  a  forcemeat  of  bread  crumbs,  the  fat 
of  bacon,  a  little  onion  chopped,  parsley,  pepper,  salt, 
and  a  nutmeg  pomided,  wet  it  with  the  yelks  of  eggs, 
fill  the  place  from  which  the  bone  was  taken,  make 
holes  around  it  with  a  knife  and  fill  them  also,  and 
lard  the  top;  put  it  in  a  Dutch  oven  with  a  pint  of 
water,  bake  it  sufficiently,  thicken  the  gravy  with  but¬ 
ter  and  brown  flour,  add  a  gill  of  wine  and  one  of 
mushroom  catsup,  and  serve  it  garnished  with  force¬ 
meat  balls  fried. 


SCOTCH  COLLOPS  OF  VEAL. 

They  may  be  made  of  the  nice  part  of  the  rack,  oi 
cut  from  the  fillet,  rub  a  little  salt  and  pepper  on  them, 
and  fry  them  a  light  brown;  have  a  rich  gravy  sea¬ 
soned  with  wine,  and  any  kind  of  catsup  you  choose, 
with  a  few  cloves  of  garlic,  and  some  pounded  mace, 
thicken  it,  put  the  collops  in  and  stew  them  a  short 
time,  take  them  out,  strain  the  gravy  over,  and  gar¬ 
nish  with  bunches  of  parsley  fried  crisp,  and  thin 
slices  of  middling  of  bacon,  curled  around  a  skewer 
and  boiled 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


3? 


VEAL  OLIVES. 

Take  the  bone  out  of  the  fillet  and  cut  thin  slices 
the  size  of  the  leg,  beat  them  fiat,  rub  them  with  the 
yelk  of  an  egg  beaten,  lay  on  each  piece  a  thin  slice 
of  boiled  ham,  sprinkle  salt,  pepper,  grated  nutmeg, 
chopped  parsley,  and  bread  crumbs  over  all,  roll  them 
up  tight,  and  secure  them  with  skewers,  rub  them  with 
egg  and  roll  them  in  bread  crumbs,  lay  them  on  a  tin 
dripping  pan,  and  set  them  in  an  oven;  when  brown 
on  one  side,  turn  them,  and  when  sufficiently  done, 
lay  them  in  a  rich  highly  seasoned  gravy  made  of 
proper  thickness,  stew  them  till  tender,  garnish  with 
forcemeat  balls  and  green  pickles  sliced. 


RAGOUT  OF  A  BREAST  OF  VEAL. 

Separate  the  joints  of  the  brisket,  and  saw  off  the 
sharp  ends  of  the  ribs,  trim  it  neatly,  and  half  roast 
it;  put  it  in  a  stew  pan  with  a  quart  of  good  gravy 
seasoned  with  wine,  walnut  and  mushroom  catsup,  a 
tea-spoonful  of  curry  powder,  and  a  few  cloves  of  gar¬ 
lic;  stew  it  till  tender,  thicken  the  gravy,  and  garnish 
with  sweatbreads  nicely  broiled. 


FRI-CANDO  OF  VEAL. 

Cut  soces  from  the  fillet  an  inch  thick  and  six 
inches  long,  lard  them  with  slips  of  lean  middling  of 
bacon,  bake  them  a  light  brown,  stew  them  in  well 
seasoned  gravy,  made  as  thick  as  rich  cream,  serve 
them  up  hot,  and  lay  round  the  dish  sorrel  stewed 
with  butter,  pep’  er  and  salt,  till  quite  dry. 


38 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIJE. 


TO  MAKE  A  PIE  OF  SWEETBREADS  AND 

OYSTERS. 

Boil  the  sweetbreads  tender,  stew  the  oysters,  sea¬ 
son  them  with  pepper  and  salt,  and  thicken  with 
cream,  butter,  the  yelks  of  eggs  and  flour,  put  a  puff 
paste  at  the  bottom  and  around  the  sides  of  a  deep 
dish,  take  the  oysters  up  with  an  egg  spoon,  lay 
them  in  the  bottom,  and  cover  them  with  the  sweet¬ 
breads,  fill  the  dish  with  gravy,  put  a  paste  on  the 
top,  and  bake  it.  This  is  the  most  delicate  pie  that 
can  be  made.  The  sweetbread  of  veal  is  the  most 
delicious  part,  and  may  be  broiled,  fried,  or  dressed  in 
any  way,  and  is  always  good. 


MOCK  TURTLE  OF  CALF’S  HEAD. 

Have  the  head  nicely  cleaned,  divide  the  chop  from 
the  skull,  take  out  the  brains  and  tongue,  and  boil  the 
other  parts  till  tender,  take  them  out  of  the  water  and 
put  into  it  a  knuckle  of  veal  or  four  pounds  of  lean 
beef,  three  onions  chopped,  thyme,  parsley,  a  tea¬ 
spoonful  of  pounded  cloves,  the  same  of  mace,  salt, 
and  cayenne  pepper  to  your  taste — boil  these  things 
together  till  reduced  to  a  pint,  strain  it,  and  add  two 
gills  of  red  wine,  one  of  mushroom  and  one  of  wal¬ 
nut  catsup,  thicken  it  with  butter  and  brown  flour; 
the  head  must  be  cut  in  small  pieces  and  stewed  a 
few  minutes  in  the  gravy;  put  a  paste  round  the  edge 
of  a  deep  dish,  three  folds,  one  on  the  other, but  none 
on  the  bottom;  pour  in  the  meat  and  gravy,  and  bake 
it  till  the  paste  is  done;  pick  all  strings  from  the 
brains,  pound  them,  and  add  grated  bread,  pepper  and 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  39 

salt,  make  them  in  little  cakes  with  the  yelk  of  an 
egg,  fry  them  a  nice  brown,  boil  six  eggs  hard,  leave 
one  whole  and  divide  the  others  exactly  in  two,  have 
some  hits  of  paste  nicely  baked;  when  the  head  is 
taken  from  the  oven,  lay  the  whole  egg  in  the  middle, 
and  dispose  the  others,  with  the  brain  cakes  and  bits 
of  paste  tastily  around  it.  If  it  be  wanted  as  soup,  do 
not  reduce  the  gravy  so  much,  and  after  stewing  the 
head,  serve  it  in  a  tureen  with  the  brain  cakes  and 
forcemeat  balls  fried,  in  place  of  the  eggs  and  paste. 
The  tongue  should  be  salted  and  put  in  brine;  they 
are  very  delicate,  and  four  of  them  boiled  and  pealed, 
and  served  with  four  small  chickens  boiled,  make  a 
handsome  dish,  either  cold  or  hot,  with  parsley  and 
butter  poured  over  them. 


TO  GRILL  A  CALF’S  HEAD. 

Clean  and  divide  it  as  for  the  turtle,  take  out  the 
brains  and  tongue,  boil  it  tender,  take  the  eyes  out 
whole,  and  cut  the  flesh  from  the  skull  in  small  pieces; 
take  some  of  the  water  it  was  boiled  in  for  gravy, 
put  to  it  salt,  cayenne  pepper,  a  grated  nutmeg,  with 
a  spoonful  of  lemon  pickle;  stew  it  till  it  is  well 
flavoured,  take  the  jowl  or  chop,  take  out  the  bones, 
and  cover  it  with  bread  crumbs,  chopped  parsley, 
pepper  and  salt,  set  it  in  an  oven  to  brown,  thicken 
the  gravy  with  the  yelks  of  two  eggs  and  a  spoonful 
of  butter  rubbed  into  two  of  flour,  stew  the  head  in  it 
a  few  minutes,  put  it  in  the  dish,  and  lay  the  grilled 
chop  on  it;  garnish  it  with  brain  cakes  and  broiled 
sweetbreads. 


40 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


TO  COLLAR  A  CALF’S  HEAD. 

Atter  cleaning  it  nicely,  saw  the  bone  down  thfi 
middle  of  the  skull,  but  do  not  separate  the  head, 
take  out  the  brains  and  tongue,  boil  it  tender  enough 
to  remove  the  bones,  which  must  be  taken  entirely 
out;  lay  it  on  a  board,  have  a  good  quantity  of  chop¬ 
ped  parsley  seasoned  with  mace,  nutmeg,  pepper  and 
salt — spread  a  layer  of  this,  then  one  of  thick  slices 
of  ham,  another  of  parsley  and  one  of  ham,  roll  it 
up  tight,  sew  a  cloth  over  it,  and  bind  that  round 
with  tape;  boil  it  half  an  hour,  and  when  cold  press 
it.  It  must  be  kept  covered  with  vinegar  and  water, 
and  is  very  delicious  eaten  with  sallad  or  oil  and 
vinegar. 


CALF’S  HEART,  A  NICE  DISH. 

Take  the  heart  and  liver  from  the  harslet,  and  cut 
off  the  windpipe,  boil  the  lights  very  tender,  and  cut 
them  in  small  pieces — take  as  much  of  the  water 
they  were  boiled  in  as  will  be  sufficient  for  gravy;  add 
to  it  a  large  spoonful  of  white  wine,  one  of  lemon 
pickle,  some  grated  nutmeg,  pepper  and  salt,  with  a 
large  spoonful  of  butter,  mixed  with  o-ne  of  white 
flour;  let  it  boil  a  few  minutes,  and  put  in  the  minced 
lights,  set  it  by  till  the  heart  and  liver  are  re-ady,  cut 
the  ventricle  out  of  the  heart,  wash  it  well,  lard  it  all 
over  with  narrow  slips  of  middling,  fill  the  cavity 
with  good  forcemeat,  put  it  in  a  pan  on  the  broad  end, 
that  the  stuffing  may  not  come  out;  bake  it  a  nice 
brown,  slice  the  liver  an  inch  thick  and  broil  it,  make 
the  mince  hot,  set  the  heart  upright  in  the  middle  of 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE-  41 

ihe  dish,  pour  it  around,  lay  the  broiled  liver  on,  and 
garnish  with  bunches  o.f  fried  parsley;  it  should  be 
served  up  extremely  hot. 

CALF’S  FEET  FRICASSEE. 

Boil  the  feet  till  very  tender,  cut  them  in  two  and 
pull  out  the  large  bones,  have  half  a  pint  of  good 
white  gravy,  add  to  it  a  spoonful  of  white  wine,  one 
of  lemon  pickle,  and  some  salt,  with  a  tea-spoonful  of 
curry  powder,  stew  the  feet  in  it  fifteen  minutes,  and 
thicken  it  with  the  yelks  of  two  eggs,  a  gill  of  milk, 
a  large  spoonful  of  butter,  and  two  of  white  flour,  let 
the  thickening  be  very  smooth,  shake  the  stew  pan 
over  the  fire  a  few  minutes,  but  do  not  let  it  boil  lest 
the  eggs  and  milk  should  curdle. 

TO  FRY  CALF’S  FEET. 

Prepare  them  as  for  the  fricassee,  dredge  them  well 
with  flour  and  fry  them  a  light  brown,  pour  parsley 
and  butter  over,  and  gar*'”  with  fried  parsley. 

TO  PREPARE  RENNET. 

Take  the  stomach  from  the  calf  sis  soon  as  it  is 
killed — do  not  wash  it,  but  hang  it  in  a  dry  cool  place 
for  four  or  five  days;  then  turn  it  inside  out,  slip  off  all 
the  curd  nicely  with  the  hand,  fill  it  with  a  little  salt¬ 
petre  mixed  with  the  quantity  of  salt  necessary,  and 
lay  it  in  a  small  stone  pot,  pour  over  it  a  small  tea¬ 
spoonful  of  vinegar,  and  sprinkle  a  handful  of  salt 
over  it,  cover  it  closely  and  keep  it  for  use.  You 
must  not  wash  it — that  would  weaken  the  gastric 
juice,  and  injure  the  rennet.  After  it  has  been  salted 
six  or  eight  weeks,  cut  off  a  piece  four  or  five  inches 


42  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.. 

long,  put  it  in  a  large  mustard  bottle,  or  any  vesse* 
that  will  hold  about  a  pint  and  a  half;  put  on  it  five 
gills  of  cold  water,  and  two  gills  of  rose  brandy — 
stop  it  very  close,  and  shake  it  when  you  are  going  to 
use  it:  a  table-spoonful  of  this  is  sufficient  for  a  quart 
of  milk.  It  must  be  prepared  in  very  cool  weather, 
and  if  well  done,  will  keep  more  than  a  year. 

TO  HASH  A  CALF’S  HEAD. 

Bo*il  the  head  till  the  meat  is  almost  enough  for  eat¬ 
ing;  then  cut  it  in  thin  slices,  take  three  quarters  of  a 
pint  of  good  gravy,  and  add  half  a  pint  of  white  wine, 
half  a  nutmeg,  two  anchovies,  a  small  onion  stuck 
with  cloves,  and  a  little  mace;  boil  these  up  in  the 
liquor  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  then  strain  it  and  boil 
it  up  again;  put  in  the  meat,  with  salt  to  your  taste, 
let  it  stew  a  little,  and  if  you  choose  it,  you  may  add 
some  sweetbreads,  and  make  some  forcemeat  balls 
with  veal;  mix  the  brains  with  the  yelks  of  eggs  and 
fry  them  to  lay  for  a  g;:  ffish.  When  the  head  is 
ready  to  be  sent  in,  stir  in  a  bit  of  butter. 

TO  BAKE  A  CALF’S  HEAD. 

Divide  the  calf’s  head,  wash  it  clean,  and  having 
the  yelks  of  two  eggs  well  beaten,  wash  the  outside 
of  the  head  all  over  with  them,  and  on  that  strew 
raspings  of  bread  sifted,  pepper,  salt,  nutmeg  and 
mace  powdered;  also,  the  brains  cut  in  pieces  and 
dipped  in  thick  butter,  then  cover  the  head  with  bits 
of  butter,  pour  into  the  pan  some  white  wine  and 
water,  with  as  much  gravy,  and  cover  it  close.  Let 
it  be  baked  in  a  quick  oven,  and  when  it  is  served  up, 
pour  on  some  strong  gravy,  a*nd  garnish  with  slices 


THE  YIRG  NIA  HOUSEWIFE.  43 

of  lemon,  red  beet  root  pickled,  fried  oysters  ana 
fried  bread. 

TO  STUFF  AND  ROAST  A  CALF’S  LIVER. 

Take  a  fresh  calFs  liver,  and  having  made  a  hole  in 
it  with  a  large  knife  run  in  lengthways,  but  not  quite 
through,  have  ready  a  forced  meat,  or  stuffing  made 
of  part  of  the  liver  parboiled,  fat  of  bacon  minced 
very  fine,  and  sweet  herbs  powdered;  add  to  these 
some  grated  bread  and  spice  finely  powdered,  with 
pepper  and  salt.  With  this  stuffing  fill  the  hole  in 
the  liver,  which  must  be  larded  with  fat  bacon,  and 
then  roasted,  flouring  it  well,  and  basting  with  butter 
till  it  is  enough.  This  is  to  be  served  up  hot,  with 
gravy  sauce  having  a  little  wine  in  it. 


TO  BROIL  CALF’S  LIVER. 

Cut  it  in  slices,  put  over  it  salt  and  pepper;  broil 
it  nicely,  and  pour  on  some  melted  butter  with 
chopped  parsley  after  it  is  dished. 


Directions  for  cleaning  Calf's  Head  and  Feet ,  for 
those  who  live  in  the  country  and  butcher  their 
own  meats. 

As  soon  as  the  animal  is  killed,  have  the  head  and 
feet  taken  off,  wash  them  clean,  sprinkle  some  pounded 
rosin  all  over  the  hairs,  then  dip  them  in  boiling 
water,  take  them  instantly  out,  the  rosin  will  dry 
immediately,  and  they  may  be  scraped  clean  with 
ease;  the  feet  should  be  soaked  in  water  three  or 
four  days,  changing  it  daily;  this  will  make  them  very 
white 


44 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE 


LAMB. 


TO  ROAST  THE  FORE-QUARTER,  &c. 

The  fore-quarter  should  always  be  roasted  anti 
served  with  mint  sauce  in  a  boat;  chop  the  mint  small 
and  mix  it  with  vinegar  enough  to  make  it  liquid, 
sweeten  it  with  sugar. 

The  hind-quarter  may  be  boiled  or  roasted,  and  re¬ 
quires  mint  sauce;  it  may  also  be  dressed  in  various 
ways. 


BAKED  LAMB. 

Cut  the  shank  bone  from  a  hind-quarter,  separate 
the  joints  of  the  loin,  lay  it  in  a  pan  with  the  kidney 
uppermost,  sprinkle  some  pepper  and  salt,  add  a  few 
cloves  of  garlic,  a  pint  of  water  and  a  dozen  large 
ripe  tomatos  with  the  skins  taken  off,  bake  it  but  do 
not  let  it  be  burnt,  thicken  the  gravy  with  a  little 
butter  and  brown  flour. 


FRIED  LAMB. 

Separate  the  leg  from  the  loin,  cut  off  the  shank 
and  boil  the  leg;  divide  the  loin  in  chops,  dredge  and 
fry  them  a  nice  brown,  lay  the  leg  in  the  middle  of 
the  dish,  and  put  the  chops  around,  pour  over  parsley 
and  butter,  and  garnish  with  fried  parsley. 

The  leg  cut  into  steaks  and  the  loin  into  chops 
will  make  a  fine  fricassee,  or  cutlets. 


TO  DRESS  LAMB’S  HEAD  AND  FEET. 
Clean  them  very  nicely,  and  boil  them  till  tendei, 
take  off  the  flesh  from  the  head  with  the  eyes,  also 


THE  VIRGINIA  rfOUSEWIFE.  45 

mince  the  tongue  and  heart,  which  must  be  boiled 
with  the  head;  split  the  feet  in  two,  put  them  with 
the  pieces  from  the  head  ane  the  mince,  into  a  pint 
of  good  gravy,  seasoned  with  pepper,  salt,  and  tomato 
catsup,  or  ripe  tomatos:  stew  it  till  tender,  thicken 
the  gravy,  and  lay  the  liver  cut  in  slices  and  broiled 
over  it — garnish  with  crisp  parsley  and  bits  of  curled 
bacon. 


MUTTON. 


The  saddle  should  always  be  roasted  and  garnished 
with  scraped  horse-radish.  See  general  observations 
on  roasting.  Mutton  is  in  the  highest  perfection  from 
August  until  Christmas,  when  it  begins  to  decline  in 
goodness. 


BOILED  LEG  OF  MUTTON. 

Cut  off  the  shank,  wrap  the  flank  nicely  round  and 
secure  it  with  skewers,  dredge  it  well  with  flour,  and 
put  it  on  the  fire  in  a  kettle  of  cold  water  with  some 
salt,  and  three  or  four  heads  of  garlic,  which  will  give 
it  a  delicately  fine  flavour;  skin  it  well,  and  when 
nearly  done,  take  it  from  the  fire  and  keep  it  hot  and 
closely  covered,  that  the  steam  may  finish  it;  have 
carrots  well  boiled  to  put  in  the  dish  under  it,  or  tur¬ 
nips  boiled,  mashed  smooth  and  stewed  with  a  lump 
butter  and  salt,  lay  the  mutton  on,  and  pour  over 
■t  butter  melted  with  some  flour  in  it,  and  a  cup  full 
*f  capers  with  some  of  the  vinegar;  shake  them 
together  over  the  fire  till  hot  before  you  pour  it  on. 


16 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


ROASTED  LEG. 

Prepare  it  as  for  boiling,  be  very  careful  in  spit¬ 
ting  it,  cover  it  with  paper  and  follow  the  directions 
for  roasting,  serve  it  up  garnished  with  scraped  horse¬ 
radish. 


BAKED  LEG  OF  MUTTON. 

Take  the  flank  off,  but  leave  all  the  fat,  cut  out  the 
bone,  stuff  the  place  with  a  rich  forcemeat,  lard  the 
top  and  sides  with  bacon,  put  it  in  a  pan  with  a  pint 
of  water,  some  chopped  onion  and.cellery  cut  small, 
a  gill  of  red  wine,  one  of  mushroom  catsup  and  a 
tea-spoonful  of  curry  powder,  bake  it  and  serve  it  up 
with  the  gravy,  garnish  with  forcemeat  balls  fried. 

STEAKS  OF  A  LEG  OF  MUTTON. 

Cut  off  the  flank,  take  out  the  bone,  and  cut  it  in 
large  slices  half  an  inch  thick,  sprinkle  some  salt  and 
pepper,  and  broil  it,  pour  over  it  nice  melted  but-tei 
with  capers;  a  leg  cut  in  the  same  way  and  dressed  as 
directed  for  veal  cutlets,  is  very  fine.  It  is  also  ex¬ 
cellent  when  salted  as  beef,  and  boiled,  served  up 
with  carrots  or  turnips. 

4  shoulder  of  mutton  is  best  when  roasted,  but  may 
be  made  into  cutlets  or  in  a  harrico. 


TO  HARRICO  MUTTON. 

Take  the  nicest  part  of  the  rack,  divide  it  into 
chops,  with  one  bone  in  each,  beat  them  flat,  sprinkle 
salt  and  pepper  on  them,  and  broil  them  nicely;  make 
a  rii  h  gravy  out  of  the  inferior  parts,  season  it  well 
with  pepper,  a  little  spice,  and  any  kind  of  catsup  yon 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


47 


choose;  when  sufficiently  done,  strain  it,  and  thicken 
it  with  butter  and  brown  flour,  have  some  carrots  and 
turnips  cut  into  small  dice  and  boiled  till  tender,  put 
them  in  the  gravy,  lay  the  chops  in  and  stew  them 
fifteen  minutes;  serve  them  up  garnished  with  green 
pickle. 


MUTTON  CHOPS. 

Cut  the  rack  as  for  the  harrico,  broil  them,  and 
when  dished,  pour  over  them  a  gravy  made  with  two 
large  spoonsful  of  boiling  water,  one  of  mushroom 
catsup,  a  small  spoonful  of  butter  and  some  salt,  stir  it 
till  the  butter  is  melted,  and  garnish  with  horse-radish ' 
scraped. 

BOILED  BREAST  OF  MUTTON. 

Separate  the  joints  of  the  brisket,  and  saw  off  the 
sharp  ends  of  the  ribs,  dredge  it  with  flour,  and  boil 
it;  serve  it  up  covered  with  onions — see  onion  sauce 


BREAST  OF  MUTTON  IN  RAGOUT. 

Prepare  the  breast  as  for  boiling,  brown  it  nicely 
m  the  oven,  have  a  rich  gravy  well  seasoned  and 
thickened  with  brown  flour,  stew  the  mutton  in  it  till 
sufficiently  done,  and  garnish  with  forcemeat  balls 
fried. 


TO  GRILL  A  BREAST  OF  MUTTON 
Prepare  it  as  before,  score  the  top,  wash  it  over 
with  the  yelk  of  an  egg,  sprinkle  some  salt,  and 
cover  it  with  bread  crumbs,  bake  it,  and  pour  capei 
sauce  in  the  dish.  It  may  ai&'o  be  roasted,  the  skin 


4S  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

taken  off  and  frothed  nicely,  serve  it  up  with  good 
gravy,  and  garnish  with  current  jelly  cut  in  slices. 

The  neck  of  mutton  is  fit  only  for  soup,  the  liver  is 
very  good  when  broiled. 

BOILED  SHOULDER  OF  MUTTON. 

Put  it  in  cold  water  with  some  salt,  and  boil  it  till 
tender;  serve  it  up  covered  with  onion  sauce. 

SHOULDER  OF  MUTTON  WITH  CELLERY 

SAUCE. 

Wash  and  clean  ten  heads  of  cellery,  cut  off  the 
green  tops  and  take  off  the  outside  stalks,  cut  the 
heads  in  thin  slices,  boil  them  tender  in  a  little  milk, 
just  enough  for  gravy,  add  salt,  and  thicken  it  with  a 
spoonful  of  butter  and  some  white  flour;  boil  the 
shoulder  and  pour  the  sauce  over  it. 


ROASTED  LOIN  OF  MUTTON. 

Cut  the  loin  in  four  pieces,  take  off  the  skin,  rub 
each  piece  with  salt,  wash  them  with  the  yelk  of  an 
egg,  and  cover  them  thickly  with  bread  crumbs, 
chopped  parsley,  pepper  and  salt;  wrap  them  up  se¬ 
curely  in  paper,  put  them  on  a  bird  spit,  and  roast 
them;  put  a  little  brown  gravy  in  the  dish,  and  garnish 
with  pickle. 

PORK. 


TO  CURE  BACON. 

Hogs  are  in  the  highest  perfection,  trom  two  and  a 
ualf  to  four  years  old,  and  make  the  best  bacon,  when 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  49 

• 

they  do  net  weigh  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
or  sixty  at  farthest;  they  should  be  fed  with  corn,  six 
weeks  at  least,  before  they  are  killed,  and  the  shorter 
distance  they  are  driven  to  market,  the  better  will 
their  flesh  be.  To  secure  them  against  the  possibility 
of  spoiling,  salt  them  before  they  get  cold;  take  out 
the  chine  or  back-bone  from  the  neck  to  the  tail,  cut 
the  hams,  shoulders  and  middlings;  take  the  ribs  from 
the  shoulders  and  the  leaf  fat  from  the  hams:  have 
such  tubs  as  are  directed  for  beef,  rub  a  large  table 
spoonful  of  saltpetre  on  the  inside  of  each  ham,  for 
some  minutes,  then  rub  both  sides  well  with  salt, 
sprinkle  the  bottom  of  the  tub  with  salt,  lay  the  hams 
with  the  skin  downward,  and  put  a  good  deal  of  salt 
between  each  layer;  salt  the  shoulders  and  middlings 
in  the  same  manner,  but  less  saltpetre  is  necessary; 
cut  the  jowl  or  chop  from  the  head,  and  rub  it  with 
salt  and  saltpetre.  You  should  cut  off  the  feet  just 
above  the  knee  joint;  take  off  the  ears  and  nose,  and 
lay  them  in  a  large  tub  of  cold  water  for  souse.  When 
the  jowls  have  been  in  salt  two  weeks,  hang  them  up 
to  smoke — do  so  with  the  shoulders  and  middlings 
at  the  end  of  three  weeks,  and  the  hams  at  the  end 
of  four.  If  they  remain  longer  in  salt  they  will  be 
hard.  Remembor  to  hang  the  hams  and  shoulders 
with  the  hocks  down,  to  preserve  the  juices.  Make  a 
good  smoke  every  morning,  and  be  careful  not  to  have 
a  blaze;  the  smoke-house  should  stand  alone,  for  any 
additional  heat  will  spoil  the  meat.  During  the  hot 
weather,  beginning  the  first  of  April,  it  should  be  oc¬ 
casionally  taken  down,  examined — rubbed  wHh  hick¬ 
ory  ashes,  and  hung  up  again. 

4 


50  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

The  generally  received  opinion  that  saltpetre  hard 
ens  meat,  is  entirely  erroneous: — it  tends  greatly  to 
prevent  putrefaction,  but  will  not  make  it  hard;  neither 
will  laying  in  brine  five  or  six  weeks  in  cold  weather, 
have  that  effect,  but  remaining  in  salt  too  long,  will 
certainly  draw  off  the  juices,  and  harden  it.  Bacon 
should  be  boiled  in  a  large  quantity  of  water,  and  a 
ham  is  not  done  sufficiently,  till  the  bone  on  the  under 
part  comes  off  with  ease.  New  bacon  requires  immL 
longer  boiling  than  that  which  is  old. 

TO  MAKE  SOUSE. 

Let  all  the  pieces  you  intend  to  souse,  remain 
covered  with  cold  water  twelve  hours;  then  wash  them 
out,  wipe  off  the  blood,  and  put  them  again  in  fresh 
water;  soak  them  in  this  manner,  changing  the  water 
frequently,  and  keeping  it  in  a  cool  place,  till  the 
blood  is  drawn  away;  scrape  and  clean  each  piece 
perfectly  nice,  mix  some  meal  with  water,  add  salt  to 
it,  and  boil  your  souse  gently,  until  you  can  run  a 
straw  into  the  skin  with  ease.  Do  not  put  too  much 
in  the  pot,  for  it  will  boil  to  pieces  and  spoil  the 
appearance.  The  best  way  is  to  boil  the  feet  in  one 
pot,  the  ears  and  nose  in  another,  and  the  heads  in  a 
third;  these  should  be  boiled  till  you  can  take  all  the 
bones  out;  let  them  get  cold,  season  the  insides  with 
pepper,  salt,  and  a  little  nutmeg;  make  it  in  a  tight 
roll,  sew  it  up  close  in  a  cloth,  and  press  it  lightly. 
Mix  some  more  meal  and  cold  water,  just  enough  to 
look  white;  add  salt,  and  one-fourth  of  vinegar;  put 
your  souse  in  different  pots,  and  keep  it  well  covered 
with  this  mixture,  and  closely  stopped.  It  will  be 
necessaiy  to  renew  this  liquor  every  two  or  three 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  51 

weeks.  Let  your  souse  get  quite  cold  after  boiling, 
before  you  put  it  in  the  liquor,  and  be  sure  to  use  pale 
coloured  vinegar,  or  the  souse  will  be  dark.  Some 
cooks  singe  the  hair  from  the  feet,  etcetera ,  but  this 
destroys  the  colour:  good  souse  will  always  be  white. 

TO  ROAST  A  PIG. 

The  pig  must  be  very  fat,  nicely  cleaned,  and  not 
too  large  to  lie  in  the  dish;  chop  the  liver  fine  and 
mix  it  with  crumbs  of  bread,  chopped  onion  and 
parsley,  with  pepper  and  salt,  make  it  into  a  paste 
with  butter  and  an  egg,  stuff  the  body  well  with  it, 
and  sew  it  up,  spit  it,  and  have  a  clear  fire  tC  'oast  it; 
baste  with  salt  and  water  at  first,  then  rub  it  frt  juently 
with  a  lump  of  lard  wrapped  in  a  piece  of  clean  linen; 
this  will  make  it  much  more  crisp  than  basting  it  from 
the  dripping  pan.  When  the  pig  is  done,  take  off  the 
head,  separate  the  face  from  the  chop,  cut  both  in  two 
and  take  off  the  ears,  take  out  the  stuffing,  split  the 
pig  in  two  parts  lengthways,  lay  it  in  the  dish  with 
the  head,  ears,  and  feet,  which  have  been  cut  off, 
placed  on  each  side,  put  the  stuffing  in  a  bowl  with  a 
glass  of  wine,  and  as  much  dripping  as  will  make  it 
sufficiently  liquid,  put  some  of  it  under  the  pig,  and 
serve  the  rest  in  a  boat. 

TO  BARBECUE  SHOTE* 

This  is  the  name  given  in  the  southern  states  to  a 
fat  young  hog,  which,  when  the  head  and  feet  are 

*  Shote  being  a  Provincial  term,  and  not  a  legitimate  English 
word,  Mrs.  It.  has  taken  the  liberty  of  spelling’  it  in  a  way  that 
conveys  the  sound  of  the  pronunciation  more  clearly  than 
t/utal,  the  usual  manner  of  spelling  it. 


52  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

taken  off,  and  it  is  cut  into  four  quarters,  will  weigh 
six  pounds  per  quarter.  Take  a  fore-quarter,  make 
several  incisions  between  the  ribs,  and  stuff  it  with 
rich  forcemeat;  put  it  in  a  pan  with  a  pint  of  water, 
two  cloves  of  garlic,  pepper,  salt,  two  gills  of  red 
wine,  and  two  of  mushroom  catsup,  bake  it,  and 
thicken  the  gravy  with  butter  and  brown  flour;  it  must 
be  jointed,  and  the  ribs  cut  across  before  it  is  cooked, 
or  it  cannot  be  carved  well;  lay  it  in  the  dish  with 
the  ribs  uppermost;  if  it  be  not  sufficiently  brown, 
add  a  little  burnt  sugar  to  the  gravy,  garnish  with 
balls. 


TO  ROAST  A  FORE-QUARTER  OF  SHOTE. 

Joint  it  for  the  convenience  of  carving,  roast  it  be¬ 
fore  a  brisk  fire;  when  done,  take  the  skin  off,  dredge 
and  froth  it,  put  a  little  melted  butter  with  some  caper 
vinegar  over  it,  or  serve  it  with  mint  sauce. 


TO  MAKE  SHOTE  CUTLETS. 

Take  the  skin  from  the  hind-quarter,  and  cut  it  in 
pieces,  prepare  them  in  the  way  directed  for  veal 
cutlets,  make  a  little  nice  gravy  with  the  skin  and  the 
scraps  of  meat  left,  thicken  it  with  butter  and  brown 
flour,  and  season  it  in  any  way  you  like. 


TO  CORN  SrfOTE. 

Rub  a  hind-quarter  with  saltpetre  and  common 
salt,  let  it  lie  ten  days,  then  boil  it,  and  put  either 
carrots  or  parsnips  under  it. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


53 


SHOTE’S  HEAD. 

Take  out  the  brains,  and  boil  the  head  till  quite 
tender,  cut  the  heart  and  liver  from  the  harslet,  and 
boil  the  feet  with  the  head;  cut  all  the  meat  from  the 
head  in  small  pieces,  mince  the  tongue  and  chop  the 
brains  small,  take  some  of  the  water  the  head  was 
boiled  in,  season  it  with  onion,  parsley  and  thyme,  all 
chopped  fine,  add  any  kind  of  catsup — thicken  it  with 
butter  and  brown  flour,  stew  the  whole  in  it  fifteen 
minutes,  and  put  it  in  the  dish:  have  the  heart  roasted 
to  put  in  the  middle,  lay  the  broiled  liver  around,  and 
garnish  it  with  green  pickle. 


LEG  OF  PORK  WITH  PEASE  PUDDING. 

Boil  a  small  leg  of  pork  that  has  been  sufficiently 
salted,  score  the  top  and  serve  it  up;  the  pudding 
must  be  in  a  separate  dish;  get  small  delicate  pease, 
wash  them  well,  and  tie  them  in  a  cloth,  allowing  a 
little  room  for  swelling,  boil  them  with  the  pork,  then 
mash  and  season  them,  tie  them  up  again  and  finish 
boiling  it;  take  care  not  to  break  the  pudding  in  turn 
ing  it  out. 


STEWED  CHINE. 

Take  the  neck  chine,  rub  it  well  with  salt,  lay  it  in 
a  pan,  put  it  in  a  pint  of  water,  and  fill  it  up  with 
sweet  potatos  nicely  washed,  but  not  peeled,  cover 
it  close  and  bake  it  till  done;  serve  it  up  with  the 
potatos,  put  a  little  of  the  gravy  in  the  dish. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


t>4 


TO  TOAST  A  HAM. 

Boil  it  well,  take  off  the  skin,  and  cover  the  top 
thickly  with  bread  crumbs,  put  it  in  an  oven  to  brown, 
and  serve  it  up. 

TO  STUFF  A  HAM. 

Take  a  well  smoked  ham,  wash  it  very  clean,  make 
incisions  all  over  the  top  two  inches  deep,  stuff  them 
quite  full  with  parsley  chopped  small  and  some  pep¬ 
per,  boil  the  ham  sufficiently;  do  not  take  off  the  skin 
It  must  be  eaten  cold. 


SOUSED  FEET  IN  RAGOUT. 

Split  the  feet  in  two,  dredge  them  with  flour  and 
fry  them  a  nice  brown;  have  some  well  seasoned  gravy 
thickened  with  brown  flour  and  butter;  stew  the  feet 
in  it  a  few  minutes. 


TO  MAKE  SAUSAGES. 

1  ake  the  tender  pieces  of  fresh  pork,  chop  them 
exceedingly  fine — chop  some  of  the  leaf  fat,  and  put 
them  together  in  the  proportion  of  three  pounds  o4 
pork  tt,  one  of  fat,  season  it  very  high  with  pepper 
and  salt,  add  a  small  quantity  of  dried  sage  rubbed  to 
a  powder,  have  the  skins  nicely  prepared,  fill  them 
and  hang  them  in  a  dry  place.  Sausages  are  excellent 
made  into  cakes  and  fried,  but  will  not  keep  so  well 
as  in  skins. 


TO  MAKE  BLACK  PUDDINGS. 

Catch  the  blood  as  it  runs  from  the  hog,  stir  it 
continually  till  cold  to  prevent  its  coagulating;  when 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  55 

cold  thicken  it  with  boiled  rice  or  oatmeal,  add  leaf 
fat  chopped  small,  pepper,  salt,  and  any  herbs  that 
are  liked,  fill  the  skins  and  smoke  them  two  or  three 
days;  they  must  be  boiled  before  they  are  hung  up, 
and  prick  them  with  a  fork  to  keep  them  from 
bursting. 

A  SEA  PIE. 

Lay  at  the  bottom  of  a  small  Dutch  oven  some 
slices  of  boiled  pork  or  salt  beef,  then  potatos  and 
onions  cut  in  slices,  salt,  pepper,  thyme  and  parsley 
shred  fine,  some  crackers  soaked,  and  a  layer  of  fowls 
cut  up,  or  slices  of  veal;  cover  them  with  a  paste  not 
too  rich,  put  another  layer  of  each  article,  and  cover 
them  with  paste  until  the  oven  is  full;  put  a  little  but¬ 
ter  between  each  layer,  pour  in  water  till  it  reaches 
the  top  crust,  to  which  you  must  add  wine,  catsup  of 
any  kind  you  please,  and  some  pounded  cloves;  let 
it  stew  until  there  is  just  gravy  enough  left;  serve  it 
in  a  deep  dish  and  pour  the  gravy  on. 

TO  MAKE  PASTE  FOR  THE  PIE. 

Pour  half  a  pound  of  butter  or  dripping,  boiling  hot, 
into  a  quart  of  flour,  add  as  much  water  as  will  make 
it  a  paste,  work  it  and  roll  it  well  before  you  use  it. 
It  is  quite  a  savoury  paste. 

BOLOGNA  SAUSAGES. 

Take  one  pound  of  bacon — fat  and  lean,  one  ditto 
veal,  do.,  pork,  do.,  suet,  chop  all  fine,  season  highly: 
fill  the  skins,  prick  and  boil  them  an  hour,  and  hang 
them  to  dry — grated  bread  or  boiled  rice  may  be 
added:  clean  the  skins  with  salt  and  vinegar. 


56 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


FISH. 


TO  CURE  HERRINGS. 

The  best  method  for  preserving  herrings,  and  which 
may  be  followed  with  ease,  for  a  small  family,  is  to 
take  the  brine  left  of  your  winter  stock  for  beef,  to 
the  fishing  place,  and  when  the  seine  is  hauled,  to 
pick  out  the  largest  herrings,  and  throw  them  alive 
into  the  brine;  let  them  remain  twenty-four  hours, 
take  them  out  and  lay  them  on  sloping  planks,  that 
the  brine  may  drain  off;  have  a  tight  barrel,  put  some 
coarse  alum  salt  at  the  bottom,  then  put  in  a  layer  of 
herrings — take  care  not  to  bruise  them;  sprinkle  over 
it  alum  salt  and  some  saltpetre,  then  fish,  salt,  and 
saltpetre,  till  the  barrel  is  full;  keep  a  board  over  it. 
Should  they  not  make  brine  enough  to  cover  them  in 
a  few  weeks,  you  must  add  some,  for  they  will  be 
rusty  if  not  kept  under  brine.  The  proper  time  to 
salt  them  is  when  they  are  quite  fat:  the  scales  will 
adhere  closely  to  a  lean  herring,  but  will  be  loose  on 
a  fat  one — the  former  is  not  fit  to  be  eaten.  Do  not 
be  sparing  of  salt  when  you  put  them  up.  When 
they  are  to  be  used,  take  a  few  out  of  brine,  soak 
them  an  hour  or  two,  scale  them  nicely,  pull  off  the 
gills,  and  the  only  entrail  they  have  will  come  with 
them;  wash  them  clean  and  hang  them  up  to  dry. 
When  to  be  broiled,  take  half  a  sheet  of  white  paper, 
mb  it  over  with  butter,  put  the  herring  in,  double  the 
edges  securely,  and  broil  without  burning  it.  The 
brine  the  herrings  drink  before  they  die,  has  a  won¬ 
derful  effect  in  preserving  their  juices:  when  one  01 
two  vears  old,  they  are  equal  to  anchovies. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


57 


TO  BAKE  STURGEON. 

Get  a  piece  of  sturgeon  with  the  skin  on,  the 
piece  next  to  the  tail,  scrape  it  well,  cut  out  the  gris- 
tie,  and  boil  it  about  twenty  minutes  to  take  out  the 
oil;  take  it  up,  pull  off  the  large  scales,  and  when  cold, 
stuff  it  with  forcemeat,  made  of  bread  crumbs,  but¬ 
ter,  chopped  parsley,  pepper  and  salt,  put  it  in  a  Dutch 
oven  just  large  enough  to  hold  it,  with  a  pint  and  a 
half  of  water,  a  gill  of  red  wine,  one  of  mushroom 
catsup,  some  salt  and  pepper,  stew  it  gently  till  the 
gravy  is  reduced  to  the  quantity  necessary  to  pour  over 
it;  take  up  your  sturgeon  carefully,  thicken  the  gravy 
with  a  spoonful  of  butter  rubbed  into  a  large  one  of 
orown  flour; — see  that  it  is  perfectly  smooth  when 
you  put  it  in  the  dish. 


TO  MAKE  STURGEON  CUTLETS. 

The  tail  piece  is  the  best;  skin  it  and  cut  off  the 
gristle,  cut  it  into  slices  about  half  an  inch  thick, 
sprinkle  over  them  pepper  and  salt,  dredge  them  with 
flour,  and  fry  them  a  nice  light  brown;  have  ready  a 
pint  of  good  gravy,  seasoned  with  catsup,  wine,  and 
a  little  pounded  cloves,  and  thickened  with  brown 
flour  and  butter;  when  the  cutlets  are  cold,  put  them 
into  the  gravy  and  stew  them  a  few  minutes;  garnish 
the  dish  with  nice  forcemeat  balls  and  parsley  fried 
crisp.' 


STURGEON  STEAKS. 

Cut  them  as  for  the  cutlets,  dredge  them,  and  fry 
them  nicely;  dish  them  quickly  lest  they  get  cold; 


58  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

pour  ovei  melted  butter  with  chopped  parsley,  and 
garnish  with  fried  parsley. 

TO  BOIL  STURGEON. 

Leave  the  skin  on,  which  must  be  nicely  scraped, 
take  out  the  gristle,  rub  it  with  salt,  and  let  it  lie  an 
hour,  then  put  it  on  in  cold  water  with  some  salt  and 
a  lew  cloves  of  garlic;  it  must  be  dredged  with  flour 
before  it  is  put  into  the  water,  skim  it  carefully,  and 
when  dished,  pour  over  it  melted  butter  with  chopped 
parsley,  a  large  spoonful  of  mushroom  catsup,  one  of 
2mon  pickle,  and  one  of  pepper  vinegar;  send  some 
if  it  to  table  in  a  sauce  boat; — the  sturgeon  being  a 
iry  fish,  rich  sauce  is  necessary. 

TO  BAKE  A  SHAD. 

The  shad  is  a  very  indifferent  fish  unless  it  be  large 
and  fat;  when  you  get  a  good  one,  prepare  it  nicely, 
put  some  forcemeat  inside,  and  lay  it  at  full  length  in 
a  pan  with  a  pint  of  water,  a  gill  of  red  wine,  one  of 
mushroom  catsup,  a  little  pepper,  vinegar,  salt,  a  few 
cloves  of  garlic,  and  six  cloves:  stew  it  gently  till  the 
gravy  is  sufficiently  reduced;  there  should  always  be 
a  fish-slice  with  holes  to  lay  the  fish  on,  for  the  con¬ 
venience  of  dishing  without  breaking  it;  when  the 
fish  is  taken  up,  slip  it  carefully  into  the  dish;  thicken 
the  gravy  with  butter  and  brown  flour,  and  pour 
over  it. 


TO  BOIL  A  SHAD. 

Get  a  nice  fat  shad,  fresh  from  the  water,  that  the 
skin  may  not  crack  in  boiling,  put  it  in  cold  water  on 
a  slice,  in  a  kettle  of  proper  length,  with  a  wine 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


59 


glass  of  pale  vinegar,  salt,  a  little  garlic,  and  a  bun¬ 
dle  of  parsley;  when  it  is  done,  drain  all  the  water 
from  the  fish,  lay  it  in  the  dish,  and  garnish  with 
scraped  horse-radish;  have  a  sauce  boat  of  nice  melted 
butter,  to  mix  with  the  different  catsups,  as  taste  shall 
direct. 


TO  ROAST  A  SHAD. 

Fill  the  cavity  with  good  forcemeat,  sew  it  up,  and 
tie  it  on  a  board  of  proper  size,  cover  it  with  bread 
crumbs,  with  some  salt  and  pepper,  set  it  before  the 
fire  to  roast;  when  done  on  one  side,  turn  it,  tie  it 
again,  and  when  sufficiently  done,  pull  out  the  thread, 
and  serve  it  up  with  butter  and  parsley  poured  over  it. 

TO  BROIL  A  SHAD. 

Separate  one  side  from  the  back-bone,  so  that  it 
will  lie  open  without  being  split  in  two;  wash  it  clean, 
dry  it  with  a  cloth,  sprinkle  some  salt  and  pepper  on 
it,  and  let  it  stand  till  you  are  ready  to  broil  it;  have 
the  gridiron  hot  and  well  greased,  broil  it  nicely,  and 
pour  over  it  melted  butter. 


TO  BOIL  ROCK  FISH. 

The  best  part  of  the  rock  is  the  head  and  shoul¬ 
ders — clean  it  nicely,  put  it  into  the  fish  kettle  with 
cold  water  and  salt,  boil  it  gently  and  skim  it  well; 
when  done,  drain  off  the  water,  lay  it  in  the  dish,  and 
garnish  with  scraped  horse-radish;  have  two  boats  of 
outter  nicely  melted  with  chopped  parsley,  or  for  a 
change,  you  may  have  anchovy  butter;  the  roe  and 
liver  should  be  fried  and  served  in  separate  dishes.  If 
any  of  the  rook  be  left,  it  will  make  a  delicious  dish 


60 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


next  day; — pick  it  in  small  pieces,  put  it  in  a  stew 
pan  with  a  gill  of  water,  a  good  lump  of  butter,  some 
salt,  a  large  spoonful  of  lemcn  pickle,  and  one  of 
pepper  vinegar — shake  it  over  the  fire  till  perfectly 
hot,  and  serve  it  up.  It  is  almost  equal  to  stewed 
crab. 


TO  FRY  PERCH. 

Clean  the  fish  nicely,  but  do  not  take  out  the  roes$ 
dry  them  on  a  cloth,  sprinkle  some  salt,  and  dredge 
them  with  flour,  lay  them  separately  on  a  board;  when 
one  side  is  dry,  turn  them,  sprinkle  salt  and  dredge 
the  other  side;  be  sure  the  lard  boils  when  you  put 
the  fish  in,  and  fry  them  with  great  care;  they  should 
be  a  yellowish  brown  when  done.  Send  melted  but¬ 
ter  or  anchovy  sauce  in  a  boat. 

TO  PICKLE  OYSTERS. 

Select  the  largest  oysters,  drain  off  their  liquor, 
and  wash  them  in  clean  water;  pick  out  the  pieces  of 
shells  that  may  be  left,  put  them  in  a  stew  pan  with 
water  proportioned  to  the  number  of  oysters,  some 
salt,  blades  of  mace,  and  whole  black  pepper;  stew 
them  a  few  minutes,  then  put  them  in  a  pot,  and  when 
cold,  add  as  much  pale  vinegar  as  will  give  the 
liquor  an  agreeable  acid. 

TO  MAKE  a  CURRY  OF  CATFISH. 

Take  the  white  channel  catfish,  cut  off  their  heads, 
skin  and  clean  them,  cut  them  in  pieces  four  inches 
long,  put  as  many  as  will  be  sufficient  for  a  dish  into 
a  stew  pan  with  a  quart  of  water,  two  onions,  and 
chopped  parsley;  let  them  stew  gently  till  the  water 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


6) 


is  reduced  to  half  a  pint,  take  the  fish  out  and  lay 
them  on  a  dish,  cover  them  to  keep  them  hot,  rub  a 
spoonful  of  butter  into  one  of  flour,  add  a  large  tea¬ 
spoonful  of  curry  powder,  thicken  the  gravy  with  it, 
shake  it  over  the  fire  a  few  minutes,  and  pour  it  over 
the  fish;  be  careful  to  have  the  gravy  smooth. 


TO  DRESS  A  COD’S  HEAD  AND  SHOULDERS. 

Take  out  the  gills  and  the  blood  from  the  bone, 
wash  the  head  very  clean,  rub  over  it  a  little  salt,  then 
lay  it  on  your  fish  plate;  throw  in  the  water  a  good 
handful  of  salt,  with  a  glass  of  vinegar,  then  put  in 
the  fish,  and  let  it  boil  gently  half  an  hour;  if  it  is  a 
large  one,  three  quarters;  take  it  up  very  carefully, 
strip  the  skin  nicely  off,  set  it  before  a  brisk  fire, 
dredge  it  all  over  with  flour,  and  baste  it  well  with 
butter;  when  the  froth  begins  to  rise,  throw  over  it 
some  very  fine  white  bread  crumbs;  you  must  keep 
basting  it  all  the  time  to  make  it  froth  well;  when  it 
is  a  fine  light  brown,  dish  it  up,  and  garnish  it  with  a 
lemon  cut  in  slices,  scraped  horse-radish,  barberries, 
a  few  small  fish  fried  and  laid  around  it,  or  fried 
oysters — cut  the  roe  and  liver  in  slices,  and  lay  over 
it  a  little  of  the  lobster  out  of  the  sauce  in  lumps,  and 
then  serve  it  up. 


TO  MAKE  SAUCE  FOR  THE  COD’S  DEAD. 

Take  a  lobster,  if  it  be  alive,  stick  a  skewer  in  the 
rent  of  the  tail,  (to  keep  the  water  out,)  throw  a 
handful  of  salt  in  the  water;  when  it  boils,  put  in  the 
lobster,  and  boil  it  half  an  hour;  if  it  has  spawn  on  it. 


m 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


pick  them  off,  and  pound  them  exceedingly  fine  in  a 
marble  mortar,  and  put  them  into  half  a  pound  of 
good  melted  butter,  then  take  the  meat  out  of  the  lob¬ 
ster,  puli  it  in  bits,  and  put  it  in  your  butter,  with  a 
meat  spoonful  of  lemon  pickle,  and  the  same  of 
walnut  catsup,  a  slice  of  lemon,  one  or  two  slices  of 
horse-radish,  a  little  beaten  mace,  salt  and  cayenne  to 
your  taste;  boil  them  one  minute,  then  take  out  the 
horse-radish  and  lemon,  and  serve  it  up  in  your  sauce 
boat. 

N.  B.  If  you  cannot  get  lobsters,  you  may  make 
shrimp,  cockle,  or  muscle  sauce,  the  same  way;  if 
there  can  be  no  shell  fish  got,  you  then  may  add  two 
anchovies  cut  small,  a  spoonful  of  walnut,  liquor,  a 
large  onion  stuck  with  cloves — strain  and  put  it  in  the 
sauce  boat. 


TO  DRESS  A  SALT  COD. 

Steep  your  salt  fish  in  water  all  night,  with  a  glass 
of  vinegar;  it  will  take  out  the  salt,  and  make  it  taste 
like  fresh  fish;  the  next  day  boil  it;  when  it  is  enough 
take  off  the  skin,  pull  it  in  fieaks  into  your  dish,  then 
pour  egg  sauce  over  it,  or  parsnips  boiled  and  beat 
fine,  with  butter  and  cream;  send  it  to  the  table  on  a 
water  plate,  for  it  will  soon  grow  cold. 


MATELOTE  OF  ANY  KIND  OF  FIRM  FISH. 

Cut  the  fish  in  pieces  six  inches  long,  put  it  in  a 
pot  with  onion,  parsley,  thyme,  mushrooms,  a  little 
spice,  pepper  and  salt — add  red  wine  and  water 
enough  for  gravy,  set  it  on  a  ouick  fire  and  reduce  it 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  63 

cne-third,  thicken  with  a  spoonful  of  butter  and  two 
of  flour;  put  it  in  a  dish  with  bits  of  bread  fried  ir 
butter,  and  pour  the  gravy  over  it. 


CHOWDER,  A  SEA  DISH. 

Take  any  kind  of  firm  fish,  cut  it  in  pieces  six 
inches  long,  sprinkle  salt  and  pepper  over  each  piece, 
cover  the  bottom  of  a  small  Dutch  oven  with  slices 
of  salt  pork  about  half  boiled,  lay  in  the  fish,  strew¬ 
ing  a  little  chopped  onion  between;  cover  with  crackers 
that  have  been  soaked  soft  in  milk,  pour  over  it  two 
gills  of  white  wine,  ami  two  of  water;  put  on  the  top 
cf  the  oven,  and  stew  it  gently  about  an  hour;  take  it 
cut  carefully,  and  lay  it  in  a  deep  dish;  thicken  the 
gravy  with  a  little  flour  and  a  spoonful  of  butter,  add 
some  chopped  parsley,  boil  it  a  few  minutes,  and  pour 
it  over  the  fish — serve  it  up  hot. 


TO  PICKLE  STURGEON. 

The  best  sturgeons  are  the  small  ones,  about  four 
feet  long  without  the  head,  and  the  best  part  is  the 
one  near  the  tail.  After  the  sturgeon  is  split  through 
the  back  bone,  take  a  piece  with  the  skin  on,  which  is 
essential  to  its  appearance  and  goodness,  cut  off  the 
gristle,  scrape  the  skin  well,  wash  it,  and  salt  it — let 
it  lie  twenty-four  hours,  wipe  off  the  salt,  roll  it,  and 
tie  it  around  with  twine,  put  it  on  in  a  good  deal  of 
cold  water,  let  it  boil  till  you  can  run  a  straw  easily 
into  the  skin,  take  it  up,  pull  off  the  large  scales,  and 
when  cold,  put  it  in  a  pot,  and  cover  it  with  one  part 
vinegar,  and  two  of  salt  and  water;  keep  it  closely 
stopped,  and  when  served,  garnish  with  green  fennel. 


64 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


TO  CAVEACH  FISH. 

Cut  the  fish  in  pieces  the  thickness  of  your  hand, 
wash  it  and  dry  it  in  a  cloth,  sprinkle  on  some  peppei 
and  salt,  dredge  it  with  flour,  and  fry  it  a  nice  brown; 
when  it  gets  cold,  put  it  in  a  pot  with  a  little  chopped 
onion  between  the  layers,  take  as  much  vinegar  and 
water  as  will  cover  it,  mix  with  it  some  oil,  pounded 
mace,  and  whole  black  pepper,  pour  it  on,  and  stop 
the  pot  closely.  This  is  a  very  convenient  article,  as 
it  makes  an  excellent  and  ready  addition  to  a  dinner 
or  supper.  When  served  up,  it  should  be  garnished 
with  green  fennel,  or  parsley. 


TO  DRESS  COD  FISH. 

Boil  the  fish  tender,  pick  it  from  the  bones,  take  an 
equal  quantity  of  Irish  potatos,  or  parsnips  boiled  and 
chopped,  and  the  same  of  onions  well  boiled;  add 
a  sufficiency  of  melted  butter,  some  grated  nutmeg, 
pepper,  and  salt,  with  a  little  brandy  or  wine;  rub 
them  in  a  mortar  till  well  mixed;  if  too  stiff,  liquify 
it  with  cream  or  thickened  milk,  put  paste  in  the  bot¬ 
tom  of  a  dish,  pour  in  the  fish,  and  bake  it.  For 
change,  it  may  be  baked  in  the  form  of  patties.. 


COD  FISH  PIE. 

Soak  the  fish,  boil  it  and  take  off  the  skin,  pick  the 
meat  from  the  bones,  and  mince  it  very  fine;  take 
double  the  quantity  of  your  fish,  of  stale  bread  grated; 
pour  over  it  as  much  new  milk,  boiling  hot,  as  will 
wet  it  completely,  add  minced  parsley,  nutmeg,  pep* 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


65 


per,  and  made  mustard,  with  as  much  melted  butter 
as  will  make  it  sufficiently  rich;  the  quantity  must 
be  determined  by  that  of  the  other  ingredients — beat 
these  together  very  well,  add  the  minced  fish,  mix  it 
all,  cover  the  bottom  of  the  dish  with  good  paste,  pour 
the  fish  in,  put  on  a  lid  and  bake  it. 


TO  DRESS  ANY  KIND  OF  SALTED  FISH. 

Take  the  quantity  necessary  for  the  dish,  wash 
them,  and  lay  them  in  fresh  water  for  a  night;  then 
put  them  on  the  tin  plate  with  holes,  and  place  it  in 
the  fish  kettle — sprinkle  over  it  pounded  cloves  and 
pepper,  with  four  cloves  of  garlic;  put  in  a  bundle  of 
sweet  herbs  and  parsley,  a  large  spoonful  of  tarragon, 
and  two  of  common  vinegar,  with  a  pint  of  wine; 
roll  one  quarter  of  a  pound  of  butter  in  two  spoonsful 
of  flour,  cut  it  in  small  pieces,  and  put  it  over  the 
fish — cover  it  closely,  and  simmer  it  over  a  slow  fire 
half  an  hour;  take  the  fish  out  carefully,  and  lay  it  in 
the  dish,  set  it  over  hot  water,  and  cover  it  till  the 
gravy  has  boiled  a  little  longer — take  out  the  garlic 
and  herbs,  pour  it  over  the  fish,  and  serve  it  up.  It 
is  very  good  when  eaten  cold  'with  salad,  garnished 
with  parsley. 


TO  FRICASSEE  COD  SOUNDS  AND  TONGUES. 

Soak  them  all  night  in  fresh  water,  take  off  the 
skins,  cut  them  in  two  pieces,  and  boil  them  in  milk 
and  water  till  quite  tender,  drain  them  in  a  colander, 
and  season  with  nutmeg,  pepper,  and  a  little  salt- 
take  as  much  new  milk  as  will  make  sauce  for  it,  roll 
a  good  lump  of  butter  in  flour,  melt  it  in  the  milk, 
5 


66 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


put  the  fish  in,  set  it  over  the  fire,  and  stir  it  till  thick 
enough,  and  serve  it  up. 

AN  EXCELLENT  WAY  TO  DRESS  FISH. 

Dredge  the  fish  well  with  flour,  sprinkle  salt  and 
pepper  on  them,  and  fry  them  a  nice  brown;  set  them 
by  to  get  cold;  put  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  butter  in 
a  frying  pan;  when  it  boils,  fry  tomatos  with  the 
skins  taken  off,  parsley  nicely  picked,  and  a  very  little 
chopped  onion:  when  done,  add  as  much  water  as  will 
make  sauce  for  the  fish — season  it  with  pepper,  salt, 
and  pounded  cloves;  add  some  wine  and  mushroom 
catsup,  put  the  fish  in,  and  when  thoroughly  heated, 
serve  it  up. 


FISH  A-LA-DAUB. 

Boil  as  many  large  white  perch  as  will  be  sufficient 
for  the  dish;  do  not  take  off  their  heads,  and  be  care¬ 
ful  not  to  break  their  skins;  when  cold,  place  them  in 
the  dish,  and  cover  them  with  savoury  jelly  broken. 
A  nice  piece  of  rock-fish  is  excellent  done  in  the  same 
way. 


FISH  IN  JELLY. 

Fill  a  deep  glass  dish  half  full  of  jelly — have  as 
many  small  fish-moulds  as  will  lie  conveniently  in  it 
fill  them  with  blanc  mange;  when  they  are  cold,  and 
the  jelly  set,  lay  them  on  it,  as  if  going  in  different 
directions;  put  in  a  little  more  jelly,  and  let  it  get 
cold,  to  keep  the  fish  in  their  places — then  fill  the  dish 
so  as  to  cover  them.  The  jelly  should  be  made  of 
hog’s  feet,  very  light  coloured,  and  perfectly  trans* 
parent. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


67 


TO  MAKE  EGG  SAUCE  FOR  A  SALT  COD. 

Boil  four  eggs  hard,  first  half  cnop  the  white,  then 
put  in  the  yelks,  and  chop  them  both  together,  but 
not  very  small;  put  them  into  half  a  pound  of  good 
melted  butter,  and  let  it  boil  up — then  pour  it  on  the 
fish. 


TO  DRESS  COD  SOUNDS. 

Steep  your  sounds  as  you  do  the  salt  cod,  and  boil 
them  in  a  large  quantity  of  milk  and  water;  when 
they  are  very  tender  and  white,  take  them  up,  and 
drain  the  water  out  and  skin  them;  then  pour  the  egg 
sauce  boiling  hot  over  them,  and  serve  them  up. 


TO  STEW  CARP. 

Gut  and  scale  your  fish,  wash  and  dry  them  well 
with  a  clean  cloth,  dredge  them  with  flour,  fry  them 
in  lard  until  they  are  a  light  brown,  and  then  put  them 
in  a  stew  pan  with  half  a  pint  of  water,  and  half  a 
pint  of  red  wine,  a  meat  spoonful  of  lemon  pickle, 
the  same  of  walnut  catsup,  a  little  mushroom  powder 
and  cayenne  to  your  taste,  a  large  onion  stuck  with 
cloves,  and  a  stick  of  horse-radish;  cover  your  pan 
close  up  to  keep  in  the  steam;  let  them  stew  gently 
over  a  stove  fire,  till  the  gravy  is  reduced  to  just  enough 
to  cover  your  fish  in  the  dish;  then  take  the  fish  out, 
and  put  them  on  the  dish  you  intend  for  the  table, 
set  the  gravy  on  the  fire,  and  thicken  it  with  flour, 
and  a  large  lump  of  butter;  boil  it  a  little,  and  strain 
it  over  your  fish;  garnish  them  whn  pickled  mush* 


68 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


rooms  and  scraped  horse-radish,  and  send  them  to 
the  table. 


TO  BOIL  EELS. 

Clean  the  eels,  and  cut  off  their  heads,  dry  them, 
and  turn  them  round  on  your  fish  plate,  boil  them  in 
salt  and  water,  and  make  parsley  sauce  for  them. 


TO  PITCHCOCK  EELS. 

Skin  and  wash  your  eels,  then  dry  them  with  a 
cloth,  sprinkle  them  with  pepper,  salt,  and  a  little 
dried  sage,  turn  them  backward  and  forward,  and 
skewer  them;  rub  a  gridiron  with  beef  suet,  broil  them 
a  nice  brown,  put  them  on  a  dish  with  good  melted 
butter,  and  lay  around  fried  parsley. 


TO  BROIL  EELS. 

When  you  have  skinned  and  cleansed  your  eels  as 
before,  rub  them  with  the  yelk  of  an  egg,  strew  over 
them  bread  crumbs,  chopped  parsley,  sage,  pepper, 
and  salt;  baste  them  well  with  butter,  and  set  them 
in  a  dripping  pan;  serve  them  up  with  parsley  and 
butter  for  sauce. 

TO  SCOLLOP  OYSTERS. 

When  the  oysters  are  opened,  put  them  in  a  bowl, 
and  wash  them  out  of  their  own  liquor;  put  some  in 
the  scollop  shells,  strew  over  them  a  few  bread  crumbs, 
and  lay  a  slice  of  butter  on  them,  then  more  oysters, 
bread  crumbs,  and  a  slice  of  butter  on  the  top;  put 
them  into  a  Dutch  oven  to  brown,  and  serve  them  up 
in  the  shells. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


69 


TO  FRY  OYSTERS. 

Take  a  quarter  of  a  hundred  of  large  oysters,  wash 
them  and  roll  them  in  grated  bread,  with  pepper  and 
salt,  and  fry  them  a  light  brown;  if  you  choose,  you 
may  add  a  little  parsley,  shred  fine.  They  are  a  pro¬ 
per  garnish  for  calves’  head,  or  most  made  dishes. 


TO  MAKE  OYSTER  LOAVES. 

Take  little  round  loaves,  cut  off  the  tops,  scrape 
out  all  the  crumbs,  then  put  the  oysters  into  a  stew 
pan  with  the  crumbs  that  came  out  of  the  loaves,  a 
little  water,  and  a  good  lump  of  butter;  stew  their- 
together  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  then  put  in  a  spoonful 
of  good  cream,  fill  your  loaves,  lay  the  bit  of  crust 
carefully  on  again,  set  them  in  the  oven  to  crisp. 
Three  are  enough  for  a  side  dish. 


POULTRY,  &c. 


TO  ROAST  A  GOOSE. 

Chop  a  few  sage  leaves  and  two  onions  very  fine, 
mix  them  with  a  good  lump  of  butter,  a  tea-spoonful 
of  pepper,  and  two  of  salt,  put  it  in  the  goose,  then 
spit  it,  lay  it  down,  and  dust  it  with  flour;  when  it  is 
thoroughly  hot,  baste  it  with  nice  lard;  if  it  be  a 
large  one,  it  will  require  an  hour  and  a  half,  before 
a  good  clear  fire;  when  it  i3  enough,  dredge  and 
baste  it,  pull  out  the  spit,  and  pour  in  a  little  boilir.g 
water. 


TO 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


TO  MAKE  SAUCE  FOR  A  GOOSE. 

Pare,  core  and  slice  some  apples;  put  them  in  a 
sauce  pan,  with  as  much  water  as  will  keep  them  from 
burning,  set  them  over  a  very  slow  fire,  keep  them 
closely  covered  till  reduced  to  a  pulp,  then  put  in  a 
lump  of  butter,  and  sugar  to  your  taste,  beat  them 
well,  and  send  them  to  the  table  in  a  china  bowl. 


TO  BOIL  DUCKS  WITH  ONION  SAUCE. 

Scald  and  draw  your  ducks,  put  them  in  warm 
water  for  a  few  minutes,  then  take  them  out  and  put 
them  in  an  earthen  pot;  pour  over  them  a  pint  of 
boiling  milk,  and  let  them  lie  in  it  two  or  three  hours; 
when  you  take  them  out,  dredge  them  well  with  flour, 
and  put  them  in  a  copper  of  cold  water;  put  on  the 
rover,  let  them  boil  slowly  twenty  minutes,  then  take 
them  out,  and  smother  them  with  onion  sauce. 


TO  MAKE  ONION  SAUCE. 

Boil  eight  or  ten  large  onions,  change  the  water 
two  or  three  times  while  they  are  boiling;  when 
enough,  chop  them  on  a  board  to  keep  them  a  good 
colour,  put  them  in  a  sauce  pan  with  a  quarter  of  a 
pound  of  butter  and  two  spoonsful  of  thick  cream; 
boil  it  a  little,  and  pour  it  over  the  ducks. 


TO  ROAST  DUCKS. 

When  you  have  drawn  the  ducks,  shred  one  onion 
and  a  few  sage  leaves,  put  them  into  the  ducks  with 
pepper  and  salt,  spit  and  dust  them  with  flour,  and 


TIIE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  71 

oaste  them  with  lard:  if  your  fire  be  very  hot,  they 
will  roast  in  twenty  minutes;  and  the  quicker  they 
are  roasted,  the  better  they  will  taste.  Just  before  you 
take  them  from  the  spit,  dust  them  with  flour  and 
baste  them  Get  ready  some  gravy  made  of  the 
gizzards  and  pinions,  a  large  blade  of  mace,  a  few 
pepper  corns,  a  spoonful  of  catsup,  a  tea-spoonful  of 
lemon  pickle;  strain  it  and  pour  it  on  the  ducks,  and 
send  onion  sauce  in  a  boat. 


TO  BOIL  A  TURKEY  WITH  OYSTER  SAUCE. 

Grate  a  loaf  of  bread,  chop  a  score  or  more  of 
oysters  fine,  add  nutmeg,  pepper  and  salt  to  your 
taste,  mix  it  up  into  a  light  forcemeat  with  a  quarter 
of  a  pound  of  butter,  a  spoonful  or  two  of  cream, 
and  three  eggs;  stuff  the  craw  with  it,  and  make  the 
rest  into  balls  and  boil  them;  sew  up  the  turkey, 
dredge  it  well  with  flour,  put  it  in  a  kettle  of  cold 
water,  cover  it,  and  set  it  over  the  fire;  as  the  scum 
begins  to  rise,  take  it  off,  let  it  boil  very  slowly  for 
half  an  hour,  then  take  off  your  kettle  and  keep  it 
closely  covered;  if  it  be  of  a  middle  size,  let  it  stand 
in  the  hot  water  half  an  hour,  the  steam  being  kept 
m,  will  stew  it  enough,  make  it  rise,  keep  the  skin 
whole,  tender,  and  very  white;  when  you  dish  it, 
pour  on  a  little  oyster  sauce,  lay  the  balls  round,  and 
serve  it  up  with  the  rest  of  the  sauce  in  a  boat. 

N.  B.  Set  cn  the  turkey  in  time,  that  it  may 
stew  as  above;  it  is  the  best  way  to  boil  one  to 
perfection.  Put  it  over  the  fire  to  heat,  just  before 
you  dish  it  up. 


72 


THE  vtRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


TO  MAKE  SAUCE  FOR  A  TURKEY. 

As  ywii  open  the  oysters,  put  a  pint  into  a  bowl, 
ivash  them  out  of  their  own  liquor,  and  put  them  in 
another  bowl;  when  the  liquor  has  settled,  pour  it  off 
into  a  sauce  pan  with  a  little  white  gravy,  and  a  tea¬ 
spoonful  of  lemon  pickle — thicken  it  with  flour  and  a 
good  lump  of  butter;  boil  it  three  or  four  minutes,  put 
in  a  spoonful  of  good  cream,  add  the  oysters,  keep 
shaking  them  over  the  fire  till  they  are  quite  hot,  but 
don’t  Let  them  boil,  for  it  will  make  them  hard  and 
appear  small. 


TO  ROAST  A  TURKEY. 

Make  the  forcemeat  thus:  take  the  crumb  of  a  loaf 
of  bread,  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  beef  suet  shred 
fine,  a  little  sausage  meat  or  veal  scraped  and  pounded 
very  fine,  nutmeg,  pepper,  and  salt  to  your  taste;  mix 
it  lightly  with  three  eggs,  stuff  the  craw  with  it,  spit 
it,  and  lay  it  down  a  good  distance  from  the  fire, 
which  should  be  clear  and  brisk;  dust  and  baste  it 
several  times  with  cold  lard;  it  makes  the  froth 
stronger  than  basting  it  with  the  hot  out  of  the  drip¬ 
ping  pan,  and  makes  the  turkey  rise  better;  when  it 
is  enough,  froth  it  up  as  before,  dish  it,  and  pour  on 
the  same  gravy  as  fo**  the  boiled  turkey,  or  bread 
sauce;  garnish  with  lemon  and  pickles,  and  serve  il 
up;  if  it  be  of  a  middle  size,  it  will  require  one  houi 
and  a  quarter  to  roast. 


TO  MAKE  SAUCE  FOR  A  TURKEY. 

Cut  the  crumb  of  a  loaf  of  bread  in  thin  slices,  ana 
put  it  in  cold  water  with  a  few  pepper  corns,  a  little 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  73 

salt  and  onion — then  boil  it  till  the  bread  is  quite 
soft,  beat  it  well,  put  in  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  but¬ 
ter,  two  spoonsful  of  thick  cream,  and  put  it  in  the 
dish  with  the  turkey. 


TO  BOIL  FOWLS. 

Dust  the  fowls  well  with  flour,  put  them  in  a 
kettle  of  cold  water,  cover  it  close,  set  it  on  the  fire; 
when  the  scum  begins  to  rise,  take  it  off,  let  them 
boil  very  slowly  for  twenty  minutes,  then  take  them 
off,  cover  them  close,  and  the  heat  oi  the  water  wilt 
stew  them  enough  in  half  an  hour;  it  keeps  the  skin 
whole,  and  they  will  be  both  whiter  and  plumper  than 
if  they  had  boiled  fast;  when  you  take  them  up,  drain 
them,  and  pour  over  them  white  sauce  or  melted 
butter. 


TO  MAKE  WHITE  SAUCE  FOR  FOWLS. 

Take  a  scrag  of  veal,  the  necks  of  fowls,  or  any 
bits  of  mutton  or  veal  you  have;  put  them  in  a  sauce 
pan  with  a  blade  or  two  of  mace,  a  few  black  pepper 
corns,  one  anchovy,  a  head  of  celery,  a  bunch  of 
sweet  herbs,  a  slice  of  the  end  of  a  lemon;  put  in  a 
quart  of  water,  cover  it  close,  let  it  boil  till  it  is  re¬ 
duced  to  half  a  pint,  strain  it,  and  thicken  it  with 
a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  butter  mixed  with  flour,  boil 
it  five  or  six  minutes,  put  in  two  spoonsful  of  pickled 
mushrooms,  mix  the  yelks  of  two  eggs  with  a  tea 
cup  full  of  good  cream  and  a  little  nutmeg — put  it 
in  the  sauce,  keep  shaking  it  over  the  fiie,  but  don’t 
let  it  boil. 


4 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


FRICASSEE  OF  SMALL  CHICKENS. 

Take  off  the  legs  and  wings  of  four  chickens, 
separate  the  breasts  from  the  backs,  cut  off  the  necks 
and  divide  the  backs  across,  clean  the  gizzards  nicely, 
put  them  with  the  livers  and  other  parts  of  the  chicken, 
after  being  washed  clean,  into  a  sauce  pan,  add  pep¬ 
per,  salt,  and  a  little  mace,  cover  them  with  water, 
ind  stew  them  till  tender — then  take  them  out,  thicken 
half  a  pint  of  the  water  with  two  table  spoonsful  of 
flour  rubbed  into  four  ounces  of  butter,  add  half  a 
pint  of  new  milk,  boil  all  together  a  few  minutes, 
then  add  a  gill  of  white  wine,  stirring  it  in  carefully 
that  it  may  not  curdle;  put  the  chickens  in,  and  con¬ 
tinue  to  shake  the  pan  until  they  are  sufficiently  hot, 
and  serve  them  up. 


TO  ROAST  LARGE  FOWLS. 

Take  the  fowls  when  they  are  ready  dressed,  put 
them  down  to  a  good  fire,  dredge  and  baste  them  well 
with  lard;  they  will  be  near  an  hour  in  roasting;  make 
a  gravy  of  the  necks  and  gizzards,  strain  it,  put  in  a 
spoonfui  of  brown  flour;  when  you  dish  them,  pour 
on  the  gravy,  and  serve  them  up  with  egg  sauce  in  a 
boat. 


TO  MAKE  EGG  SAUCE. 

Boil  four  eggs  for  ten  minutes,  chop  half  the  whites, 
put  them  with  the  yelks,  and  chop  them  both  together, 
but  not  very  fine;  put  them  into  a  quarter  of  a  pound 
of  good  melted  butter,  and  put  it  in  a  boat. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


75 


TO  BOIL  YOUNG  CHICKENS. 

Put  the  chickens  in  scalding  water;  as  soon  as  the 
feathers  will  slip  off,  take  them  out,  or  it  will  make 
the  skin  hard  and  break:  when  you  have  drawn  them, 
lay  them  in  skimmed  milk  for  two  hours,  then  truss 
and  dust  them  well  with  flour,  put  them  in  cold  water, 
cover  them  close,  set  them  over  a  very  slow  fire, 
take  off  the  scum,  let  them  boil  slowly  for  five  or  six 
minutes,  take  them  off  the  fire,  keep  them  closely 
covered  in  the  water  for  half  an  hour,  it  will  stew 
them  enough;  when  you  are  going  to  dish  them,  set 
them  over  the  fire  to  make  them  hot,  drain  them,  and 
pour  over  white  sauce  made  the  same  way  as  for  the 
boiled  fowls. 

-  \ 

TO  ROAST  YOUNG  CHICKENS. 

When  you  kill  young  chickens,  pluck  them  very 
carefully,  truss  and  put  them  down  to  a  goo<l  fire, 
dredge  and  baste  them  with  lard;  they  will  take  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  in  roasting;  froth  them  up,  lay 
them  on  the  dish,  pour  butter  and  parsley  on,  and 
serve  them  up  hot. 

FRIED  CHICKENS. 

Cut  them  up  as  for  the  fricassee,  dredge  them  well 
with  flour,  sprinkle  them  with  salt,  put  them  into  a 
good  quantity  of  boiling  lard,  and  fry  them  a  light 
brown;  fry  small  pieces  of  mush  and  a  quantity  of 
parsley  nicely  picked,  to  be  served  in  the  dish  with 
the  chickens;  take  half  a  pint  of  rich  milk,  add  to  it 
a  small  bit  of  butter,  with  pepper,  salt,  and  chopped 


76  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

parsley;  stew  it  a  little,  and  pour  it  o^tr  <he  chickens, 
and  then  garnish  with  the  fried  parsley. 

TO  ROAST  WOODCOCKS  OR  SNIPES. 

Pluck,  but  do  not  draw  them,  put  them  on  a  small 
spit,  dredge  and  baste  them  well  with  lard,  toast  a 
few  slices  of  bread,  put  them  on  a  clean  plate,  and  set 
it  under  the  birds  while  they  are  roasting;  if  the  fire 
be  good,  they  will  take  about  ten  minutes;  when  you 
take  them  from  the  spit,  lay  them  upon  the  toasts  on 
the  dish,  pour  melted  butter  round  them,  and  serve 
them  up. 


TO  ROAST  WILD  DUCKS  OR  TEAL. 

When  the  ducks  are  ready  dressed,  put  in  them  a 
small  onion,  pepper,  salt,  and  a  spoonful  of  red  wine; 
if  the  fire  be  good,  they  will  roast  in  twenty  minutes; 
make  gravy  of  the  necks  and  gizzards,  a  spoonful  of 
red  wine,  half  an  anchovy,  a  blade  or  two  of  mace, 
one  onion,  and  a  little  cayenne  pepper;  boil  it  till  it 
is  wasted  to  half  a  pint,  strain  it  through  a  hair  sieve, 
and  pour  it  on  the  ducks — serve  them  up  with  onion 
sauce  in  a  boat;  garnish  the  dish  with  raspings  of 
bread. 


TO  BOIL  PIGEONS. 

Scalp  the  pigeons,  draw  them,  take  the  craw  out, 
wash  them  in  several  waters,  cut  off  the  pinions,  turn 
the  legs  under  the  wings,  dredge  them,  and  put  them 
in  soft  cold  water;  boil  them  slowly  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  dish  them  up,  pour  over  the  vn  good  melted  but 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  77 

ter,  lay  round  a  little  brocoli  in  bunches,  and  send 
butter  and  parsley  in  a  boat. 


TO  ROAST  PIGEONS. 

When  you  have  dressed  your  pigeons  as  before, 
roll  a  good  lump  of  butter  in  chopped  parsley,  with 
pepper  and  salt,  put  it  in  your  pigeons,  spit,  dust  and 
baste  them;  if  the  fire  be  good,  *hey  will  roast  in 
twenty  minutes;  when  they  are  'High,  lay  round 
them  bunches  of  asparagus,  with  ^  ,rsley  and  butter 
for  sauce. 


TO  ROAST  PARTRIDGES  OR  ANY  SMALL 

BIRDS. 

Lard  them  with  slips  of  bacon,  put  them  on  a 
skewer,  tie  it  to  the  spit  at  both  ends,  dredge  and 
baste  them,  let  them  roast  ten  minutes,  take  the  grated 
crumb  of  half  a  loaf  of  bread,  with  a  piece  of  but¬ 
ter,  the  size  of  a  walnut,  put  it  in  a  stew  pan,  and 
shake  it  over  a  gentle  fire  till  it  is  of  a  light  brown, 
lay  it  between  your  birds,  and  pour  over  them  a  little 
melted  butter. 


TO  BROIL  RABBITS. 

When  you  have  cased  the  rabbits,  skewer  them 
with  their  heads  straight  up,  the  fore-legs  brought 
down,  and  the  hind-legs  straight;  boil  them  three 
quarters  of  an  hour  at  least,  then  smother  them  with 
onion  sauce,  made  the  same  as  for  boiled  ducks,  and 
serv*1  them  up. 


7* 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


TO  ROAST  RABBITS. 

When  you  have  cased  the  rabbits,  skewer  theii 
heads  with  their  mouths  upon  their  backs,  stick  their 
fore-legs  into  their  ribs,  skewer  the  hind-legs  doubled, 
then  make  a  pudding  for  them  of  the  crumb  of  half  a 
loaf  of  bread,  a  little  parsley,  sweet  marjoram  and 
thyme,  all  shred  ffiie,  nutmeg,  salt  and  pepper  to  your 
taste,  mix  them  ,  into  a  light  stuffing,  with  a  quarter 
of  a  pound  ot  gutter,  a  little  good  cream,  and  two 
eggs;  put  it  into  the  body,  and  sew  them  up;  dredge 
and  baste  them  well  with  lard,  roast  them  near  an 
hour,  serve  them  up  with  parsley  and  butter  for  sauce, 
chop  the  livers,  and  lay  them  in  lumps  round  the  edge 
of  the  dish. 


TO  STEW  WILD  DUCKS. 

Having  prepared  the  fowls,  rub  the  insides  with 
salt,  pepper,  and  a  little  powdered  cloves;  put  a  shah 
lot  or  two  with  a  lump  of  butter  in  the  body  of  each, 
then  lay  them  in  a  pan  that  will  just  hold  them,  put¬ 
ting  butter  under  and  over  them,  with  vinegar  and 
water,  and  add  pepper,  salt,  lemon  peel,  and  a  bunch 
of  sweet  herbs;  then  fcover  the  pan  close,  and  let  them 
stew  till  done — pass  the  liquor  through  a  sieve,  poui 
it  over  the  ducks,  and  serve  them  up  hot,  with  a  gai* 
nish  of  lemon  sliced,  and  raspings  of  bread  fried. 
The  same  way  may  teal,  &c.  be  dressed. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


79 


TO  DRESS  DUCKS  WITH  JUICE  OF 
ORANGES. 

The  ducks  being  singed,  picked,  and  drawn,  mince 
the  livers  with  a  little  scraped  bacon,  some  butter, 
green  onions,  sweet  herbs  and  parsley,  seasoned  with 
salt,  pepper,  and  mushrooms;  these  being  all  minced 
together,  put  them  into  the  bodies  of  the  ducks,  and 
roast  them,  covered  with  slices  of  bacon,  and  wrapped 
up  in  paper;  then  put  a  little  gravy,  the  juice  of  an 
orange,  a  few  shallots  minced,  into  a  stew  pan,  and 
shake  in  a  little  pepper;  when  the  ducks  are  roasted, 
take  off  the  bacon,  dish  them,  and  pour  your  sauce 
with  the  juice  of  oranges  over  them,  and  serve  them 
up  hot. 


TO  DRESS  DUCKS  WITH  ONIONS. 

Stuff  the  ducks  as  before,  cut  the  roots  off  small 
onions,  blanch  them  in  scalding  water,  then  pick  and 
put  them  into  a  stew  pan  with  a  little  gravy,  set  them 
over  a  gentle  fire,  and  let  them  simmer;  when  they 
are  done,  thicken  them  with  cream  and  flour,  and 
when  the  ducks  are  roasted,  dish  them,  pour  the 
ragout  of  onions  over,  and  serve  them  up  hot. 

TO  ROAST  A  CALF’S  HEAD. 

Wash  and  pick  the  head  very  nicely;  having  taken 
out  the  brains  and  tongue,  prepare  a  good  quantity  of 
forced  meat,  with  veal  and  suet  well  seasoned;  All 
the  hole  of  the  head  with  this  forced  meat,  skewei 
and  tie  it  together  upon  the  spit,  and  roast  it  for  an 
hour  and  a  half.  Beat  up  the  brains  with  a  little  sage 


80  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

and  parsley  shred  fine,  a  little  salt,  and  the  yelks  of 
two  or  three  eggs;  boil  the  tongue,  peel,  and  cut  it 
into  large  dice,  fry  that  with  the  brains,  also  some  of 
the  forced  meat  made  up  into  balls,  and  slices  of 
bacon.  Let  the  sauce  be  strong  gravy,  with  oysters, 
mushrooms,  capers,  and  a  little  white  wine  thickened. 


TO  MAKE  A  DISH  OF  CURRY  AFTER  THE 
EAST  INDiAN  MANNER. 

Cut  two  chickens  as  for  fricassee,  wash  them  clean, 
and  put  them  in  a  stew  pan  with  as  much  water  as 
will  cover  them;  sprinkle  them  with  a  large  spoonful 
of  salt,  and  let  them  boil  till  tender,  covered  close  all 
the  time,  and  skim  them  well;  when  boiled  enough, 
take  up  the  chickens,  and  put  the  liquor  of  them  into 
a  pan,  then  put  half  a  pound  of  fresh  -butter  in  the 
pan,  and  brown  it  a  little;  put  into  it  two  cloves  of 
garlic,  and  a  large  onion  sliced,  and  let  these  all  fry 
till  brown,  often  shaking  the  pan;  then  put  in  the 
chickens,  and  sprinkle  over  them  two  or  three  spoons¬ 
ful  of  curry  powder;  then  cover  the  pan  close,  and 
let  the  chickens  do  till  brown,  often  shaking  the  pan; 
then  put  in  the  liquor  the  chickens  were  boiled  in, 
and  let  all  stew  till  tender;  if  acid  is  agreeable 
squeeze  the  juice  of  a  lemon  or  orange  in  it. 


DISH  OF  RICE  TO  BE  SERVED  UP  WITH 
THE  CURRY,  IN  A  DISH  BY  ITSFUF. 
Take  half  a  pound  of  rice,  wash  it  clean  in  salt 
and  water — then  put  it  into  two  quarts  of  boiling 
water,  and  boil  it  briskly  twenty  minutes;  strain  it 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  81 

through  a  colander  and  shake  it  into  a  dish,  but  do  not 
touch  it  with  your  fingers  nor  with  a  spoon. 

Beef,  veal,  mutton,  rabbits,  fish,  &c.  may  be  curried 
and  sent  to  table  with  or  without  the  dish  of  rice. 

Curry  powder  is  used  as  a  fine  flavoured  seasoning 
for  fish,  fowls,  steaks,  chops,  veal  cutlets,  hashes, 
minces,  alamodes,  turtle  soup,  and  in  all  rich  dishes, 
gravies,  sauce,  &c.  &c. 


OCHRA  AND  TOMATOS. 

Take  an  equal  quantity  of  each,  let  the  ochra  be 
young,  slice  it,  and  skin  the  tomatos;  put  them  into  a 
pan  without  water,  add  a  lump  of  butter,  an  onion 
chopped  fine,  some  pepper  and  salt,  and  stew  them 
one  hour. 


GUMBO— A  WEST  INDIA  DISH. 

Gather  young  pods  of  ochra,  wash  them  clean, 
and  put  them  in  a  pan  with  a  little  water,  salt  and 
pepper,  stew  them  till  tender,  and  serve  them  with 
melted  butter.  They  are  very  nutritious,  and  easy 
of  digestion. 


PEPPER  POT. 

Boil  two  or  three  pounds  of  tripe,  cut  it  in  pieces, 
and  put  it  on  the  fire  with  a  knuckle  of  veal,  and  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  water;  port  of  a  pod  of  pepper, 
a  little  spice,  sweet  herbs  according  to  your  taste, 
salt,  and  some  dumplins;  stew  it  till  tender,  and 
thicken  the  gravy  with  butter  and  flour. 

6 


I 


■ 


82  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

SPANISH  METHOD  OF  DRESSING  GIBLETS 
Take  the  entrails  of  fat  full  grown  fowls,  empty 
them  of  their  contents — open  them  with  a  sharp 
knife,  scrape  off  the  inner  coat;  wash  them  clean, 
and  put  them  on  to  boil  with  the  liver,  gizzard,  and 
other  giblets;  add  salt,  pepper,  and  chopped  onion—- 
when  quite  tender,  set  them  by  to  cool;  put  some  nice 
dripping  or  butter  in  a  pan,  when  it  boils  put  the 
giblets,  add  salt,  fry  them  a  nice  brown;  when  nearly 
done,  break  six  eggs  in  a  bowl,  beat  them  a  little, 
pour  them  over  the  giblets,  stir  them  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  serve  them  up. 


PASTE  FOR  MEAT  DUMPLINS. 

Chop  half  a  pound  of  suet  very  fine — add  one  and 
a  quarter  pound  of  flour,  and  a  little  salt — mix  it  up 
with  half  a  pint  of  milk,  knead  it  till  it  looks  light; 
take  a  bowl  of  proper  size,  rub  the  inside  with  butter, 
roll  out  the  paste  and  lay  it  in;  parboil  beef  steaks, 
mutton-chops,  or  any  kind  of  meat  you  like;  season 
it  and  lay  it  in  the  bowl — fill  it  with  rich  gravy,  close 
the  paste  over  the  top — get  a  very  thick  cloth  that  will 
keep  out  the  water;  wet  and  flour  it,  place  it  over  the 
top  of  the  bowl — gather  it  at  bottom  and  tie  it  very 
securely;  the  water  must  boil  when  you  put  it  in — . 
when  done,  dip  the  top  in  cold  water  for  a  moment, 
that  the  cloth  may  not,  stick  to  the  paste;  untie  and 
take  it  off  carefully — put  a  dish  on  the  bowl  and  turn 
it  over — if  properly  made,  it  will  come  out  without 
breaking;  have  gravy  in  a  boat  to  eat  with  it. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


83 


TO  MAKE  AN  OLLO— A  SPANISH  DISH. 

Take  two  pounds  beef,  one  pound  mutton,  a  chicken, 
or  half  a  pullet,  and  a  small  piece  of  pork;  put  them 
into  a  pot  with  very  little  water,  and  set  it  on  the  fire 
at  ten  o’clock,  to  stew  gently;  you  must  sprinkle  over 
it  an  onion  chopped  small,  some  pepper  and  salt, 
before  you  pour  in  the  water;  at  half  after  twelve, 
put  into  the  pot  two  or  three  apples  or  pears,  peeled 
and  cut  in  two,  tomatos  with  the  skin  taken  off,  cim- 
blins  cut  in  pieces,  a  handful  of  mint  chopped,  lima 
beans,  snaps,  and  any  kind  of  vegetable  you  like;  let 
them  all  stew  together  till  three  o’clock;  some  eeilery 
tops  cut  small,  and  added  at  half  after  two,  will  im¬ 
prove  it  much. 


ROPA  VEIJA — SPANISH. 

Peel  the  skin  from  ripe  tomatos,  put  them  in  a  pan 
with  a  spoonful  of  melted  butter,  some  pepper  and 
salt,  shred  cold  meat  or  fowl;  put  it  in,  and  fry  it 
sufficiently. 


CHICKEN  PUDDING,  A  FAVOURITE  VIR¬ 
GINIA  DISH. 

Beat  ten  eggs  very  light,  add  to  them  a  quart  of 
rich  milk,  with  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  butter  melted, 
and  some  pepper  and  salt;  stir  in  as  much  flour  as 
will  make  a  thin  good  batter;  take  four  young  chick¬ 
ens,  and  after  cleaning  them  nicely,  cut  off  the  legs, 
wings,  &c.  put  them  all  in  a  sauce  pan,  with  some 
salt  and  water,  and  a  bundle  of  thyme  and  parsley. 


84 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


boil  them  till  nearly  done,  then  take  the  chicken  front 
the  water  and  put  it  in  the  batter  pour  it  in  a  deep 
dish,  and  bake  it;  send  nice  white  gravy  in  a  boat 


TO  MAKE  POLENTA. 

Put  a  large  spoonful  of  butter  in  a  quart  of  water, 
wet  your  corn  meal  with  cold  water  in  a  bowl,  add 
some  salt,  and  make  it  quite  smooth,  then  put  it  in 
the  buttered  water  when  it  is  hot,  let  it  boil,  stirring 
it  continually  till  done;  as  soon  as  you  can  handle  it, 
make  it  into  a  ball,  and  let  it  stand  till  quite  cold- 
then  cut  it  in  thin  slices,  lay  them  in  the  bottom  of  a 
deep  dish  so  as  to  cover  it,  put  on  it  slices  of  cheese, 
and  on  that  a  few  bits  of  butter;  then  mush,  cheese 
and  butter,  until  the  dish  is  full;  put  on  the  top  thin 
slices  of  cheese  and  butter,  put  the  dish  in  a  quick 
oven;  twenty  or  thirty  minutes  will  bake  it. 


MACARONI. 

Boil  as  much  macaroni  as  will  fill  your  dish,  iri 
milk  and  water,  till  quite  tender;  drain  it  on  a  sieve 
sprinkle  a  little  salt  over  it,  put  a  layer  in  your  dish 
then  cheese  and  butter  as  in  the  polenta,  and  bike  it 
in  the  same  manner. 


MOCK  MACARONI. 

Break  some  crackers  in  small  pieces,  soak  them  m 
milk  until  they  are  soft;  then  use  them  as  a  substitute 
for  macaroni.  « 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUFtWIFE. 


85 


TO  MARE  CROQUETS. 

Take  cold  fowl  or  fresh  meat  of  any  kind,  with 
slices  of  ham,  fat  and  lean — chop  them  together  very 
fine,  add  half  as  much  stale  bread  grated,  salt,  pepper, 
grated  nutmeg,  a  teaspoonful  of  made  mustard,  a  table- 
spoonful  of  catsup,  and  a  lump  of  butter;  knead  ail 
well  together  till  it  resembles  sausage  meat,  make 
them  in  cakes,  dip  them  in  the  yelk  of  an  egg  beaten, 
cover  them  thickly  with  grated  bread,  and  fry  them  a 
light  brown. 


TO  MAKE  VERMECELLI. 

Beat  two  or  three  fresh  eggs  quite  light,  make  them 
into  a  stiff  paste  with  flour,  knead  it  well,  and  roll  it 
out  very  thin,  cut  it  in  narrow  strips,  give  them  a 
twist,  and  dry  them  quickly  on  tin  sheets.  It  is  an 
excellent  ingredient  in  most  soups,  particularly  those 
that  are  thin.  Noodles  are  made  in  the  same  manner, 
only  instead  of  strips  they  should  be  cut  in  tiny 
squares  and  dried.  They  are  also  good  in  soups 


COMMON  PATTIES. 

Take  some  veal,  fat  and  lean,  and  some  slices  of 
boiled  ham,  chop  them  very  fine,  and  season  it  with 
salt,  pepper,  grated  nutmeg,  and  a  small  quantity  of 
parsley  and  thyme  minced  very  fine;  with  a  little 
gravy  make  some  paste,  cover  the  bottoms  of  small 
moulds,  fill  them  with  the  meat,  put  thin  lids  on,  and 
bake  them  crisp;  five  is  enough  for  a  side  dish 


S 6 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


EGGS  IN  CROQUETS. 

Boil  eighteen  eggs,  separate  the  yelks  and  whites, 
and  cut  them  in  dice;  pour  over  them  a  sauce  a-la- 
creme,  {see  sauce  a-la-creme,)  add  a  little  grated 
Dread,  mix  all  well  together,  and  let  it  get  cold;  put 
in  some  salt  and  pepper,  make  them  into  cakes,  cover 
them  well  on  both  sides  with  grated  bread,  let  them 
stand  an  hour,  and  fry  them  a  nice  brown;  dry  them 
a  little  before  the  fire,  and  dish  them  while  quite  hot. 


OMELETTE  SOUFFLE. 

Break  six  eggs,  beat  the  yelks  and  whites  separately 
till  very  light,  then  mix  them,  add  four  table  spoonsful 
of  powdered  sugar,  and  a  little  grated  lemon  peel; 
put  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  butter  in  a  pan;  when 
melted,  pour  in  the  eggs  and  stir  them;  when  they 
have  absorbed  the  butter,  turn  it  on  a  plate  previously 
buttered,  sprinkle  some  powdered  sugar,  set  it  in  a 
hot  Dutch  oven,  and  when  a  little  brown,  serve  i( 
up  for  a  desert. 


FONDUS. 

Put  a  pint  of  water,  and  a  lump  of  butter  the  size 
of  an  egg,  into  a  sauce  pan;  stir  in  as  much  flour  as 
will  make  a  thick  batter,  put  it  on  the  fire,  and  stir  it 
continually  till  it  will  not  stick  to  the  pan;  put  it  in 
a  bowl,  add  three  quarters  of  a  pound  of  grated 
cheese,  mix  it  well,  then  break  in  two  eggs,  beat  them 
well,  then  two  more  until  you  put  in  six;  when  it 
ooks  very  light,  drop  it  in  small  lumps  on  buttered 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  87 

paper,  bake  it  in  a  quick  oven  till  of  a  delicate  brown; 
you  may  use  corn  meal  instead  of  flour  for  a  change. 


A  NICE  TWELVE  O’CLOCK  LUNCHEON. 

Cut  some  slices  of  bread  tolerably  thick,  and  toast 
them  slightly;  bone  some  anchovies,  lay  half  of  one 
on  each  toast,  cover  it  well  with  grated  cheese  and 
chopped  parsley  mixed;  pour  a  little  melted  butter  on, 
and  brown  it  with  a  salamander;  it  must  be  done  on 
the  dish  you  send  it  to  table  in. 


EGGS  A-LA-CREME. 

Boil  twelve  eggs  just  hard  enough  to  allow  you  to 
cut  them  in  slices — cut  some  crusts  of  bread  very  thin, 
put  them  in  the  bottom  and  round  the  sides  of  a  mode¬ 
rately  deep  dish,  place  the  eggs  in,  strewing  £ach 
layer  with  the  stale  bread  grated,  and  some  pepper  and 
salt. 


SAUCE  A-LA-CREME,  FOR  THE  EGGS. 

Put  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  butter,  with  a  large 
tablespoonful  of  flour  rubbed  well  into  it  in  a  sauce 
pan;  add  some  chopped  parsley,  a  little  onion,  salt, 
pepper,  nutmeg,  and  a  gill  of  cream;  stir  it  over  the 
fire  until  it  begins  to  boil,  then  pour  it  over  the  eggs, 
cover  the  top  with  grated  bread,  set  it  in  a  Dutch  oven 
with  a  heated  topv  and  when  a  light  brown,  send  it 
to  table 


88 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


CABBAGE  A-LA-CREME. 

Take  two  good  heads  of  cabbage,  cut  out  the  stalks, 
boil  it  tender,  with  a  little  salt  in  the  water — have 
ready  one  large  spoonful  of  butter,  and  a  small  one  of 
flour  rubbed  into  it,  half  a  pint  of  milk,  with  pepper 
and  salt;  make  it  hot,  put  the  cabbage  in  after  pressing 
out  the  water,  and  stew  it  till  quite  tender. 


TO  MAKE  AN  OMELETTE. 

Break  six  or  eight  eggs  in  a  dish,  beat  them  a  little, 
add  parsley  and  chives  chopped  small,  with  pepper 
and  salt;  mix  all  well  together,  put  a  piece  of  butter 
in  a  pan,  let  it  melt  over  a  clear  fire  till  nearly  brown; 
pour  in  the  eggs,  stir  it  in,  and  in  a  few  minutes  it 
will  be  done  sufficiently;  double  it,  and  dish  it  quite 
hot. 


OMELETTE— ANOTHER  WAY. 

Break  six  eggs,  leave  out  half  the  whites — beat 
them  with  a  fork,  and  add  some  salt  and  chopped 
parsley;  take  four  ounces  of  fresh  butter,  cut  half  of 
it  in  small  pieces,  put  them  in  the  omelette,  put  the 
other  half  in  a  small  frying  pan;  when  melted,  pour 
in  the  eggs;  stir  till  it  begins  to  set,  then  turn  it  up 
round  the  edges;  when  done,  put  a  plate  on  and  turn 
the  pan  up,  that  it  may  not  break — the  omelette  must 
be  thick,  and  great  care  must  be  taken  in  frying; 
instead  of  parsley,  you  may  use  any  kind  of  sweet 
herb  or  onion  chopped  fine,  anchovy  minced,  rasped 
beef,  ham  or  tongue. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


8D 


GASPACHO— SPANISH 
Put  some  soft  biscuit  or  toasted  bread  in  the  bottom 
of  a  sallad  bowl,  put  in  a  layer  of  sliced  toinatos  with 
the  skin  taken  off,  and  one  of  sliced  cucumbers, 
sprinkled  with  pepper,  salt,  and  chopped  onion;  do 
this  until  the  bowl  is  full;  stew  some  tomatos  quite 
soft,  strain  the  juice,  mix  in  some  mustard,  oil,  and 
water,  and  pour  over  it;  make  it  two  hours  before  it 
is  eaten. 


EGGS  AND  TOMATOS. 

Peel  the  skins  from  a  dozen  large  tomatos,  put 
four  ounces  of  butter  in  a  frying  pan,  add  some  salt, 
pepper,  and  a  little  chopped  onion;  fry  them  a  few 
minutes,  add  the  tomatos,  and  chop  them  while  fry¬ 
ing;  when  nearly  done,  break  in  six  eggs,  stir  them 
quickly,  and  serve  them  up. 


TO  FRICASSEE  EGGS. 

Boil  six  eggs  for  five  minutes,  lay  them  in  cold 
water,  peel  them  carefully,  dredge  them  lightly  with 
flour,  beat  one  egg  light,  dip  the  hard  eggs  in,  roll 
them  in  bread  crumbs,  seasoned  with  pepper,  salt, 
and  grated  nutmeg;  cover  them  well  with  this,  and 
let  them  stand  some  time  to  dry — fry  them  in 
boiling  lard,  and  serve  them  up  with  any  kind  of 
rich,  well  seasoned  gravy,  and  garnish  with  crisped 
parsley. 


90  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

SAUCES. 


FISH  SAUCE,  TO  KEEP  A  YEAR. 

Chop  twenty-four  anchovies,  bones  and  all,  tos, 
shallots,  a  handful  of  scraped  horse  radish,  four  blade* 
of  mace,  one  quart  of  white  wine,  one  pint  of  an¬ 
chovy  liquor,  one  pint  of  claret,  twelve  cloves,  and 
twelve  pepper  corns;  boil  them  together  till  reduced 
to  a  quart,  then  strain  it  off  into  a  bottle  for  use 
Two  spoorfsful  will  be  sufficient  for  a  pound  of  butter 


SAUCE  FOR  WILD  FOWL. 

Take  a  giil  of  claret,  with  as  much  water,  some 
grated  bread,  three  heads  of  shallots,  a  little  whole 
pepper,  mace,  grated  nutmeg,  and  salt;  let  them  stew 
over  the  fire,  then  beat  it  up  with  butter,  and  put  it 
under  the  wild  fowl,  which  being  a  little  roasted,  will 
afford  gravy  to  mix  with  this  sauce. 


SAUCE  FOR  BOILED  RABBITS. 

Boil  the  livers,  and  shred  them  very  small,  chop 
two  eggs  not  boiled  very  hard,  a  large  spoonful  of 
grated  white  bread,  some  broth,  sweet  herbs,  two 
spoonsful  of  white  wine,  one  of  vinegar,  a  little  salt, 
and  some  butter;  stir  all  together,  and  take  care  the 
butter  does  not  oil. 


GRAVY, 

Take  a  rasher  or  two  of  bacon,  and  lay  it  at  the 
bottom  of  a  stew  pan,  putting  either  veal,  mutton,  or 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  91 

beef,  cut  in  slices,  over  it;  then  add  some  sliced 
onions,  turnips,  carrots,  celery,  a  little  thyme,  and 
alspice.  Put  in  a  little  water,  and  set  it  on  the  fire, 
stewing  till  it  be  brown  at  the  bottom,  which  you  will 
know  from  the  pan’s  hissing;  then  pour  boiling  water 
over  it,  and  stew  it  an  hour  and  a  half;  but  the  time 
must  be  regulated  by  the  quantity.  Season  it  with 
salt  and  pepper.  * 


FORCEMEAT  BALLS. 

r  Take  half  a  pound  of  veal,  and  half  a  pound  of 
suet  cut  fine,  and  beat  in  a  marble  mortar  or  wooden 
bowl;  add  a  few  sweet  herbs  shred  fine,  a  little  mace 
pounded  fine,  a  small  nutmeg  grated,  a  little  lemon 
peel,  some  pepper  and  salt,  and  the  yelks  of  two 
eggs;  mix  them  well  together,  and  make  them  into 
balls  and  long  pieces — then  roll  them  in  flour,  and  fry 
them  brown.  If  they  are  for  the  use  of  white  sauce,  do 
not  fry  them,  but  put  them  in  a  sauce-pan  of  hot  water 
and  let  them  boil  a  few  minutes. 


SAUCE  FOR  BOILED  DUCKS  OR  RABBITS 

Pour  boiled  onions  over  your  ducks,  or  rabbits, 
prepared  in  this  manner:  peel  some  onions,  and  boil 
them  in  plenty  of  water;  then  change  the  first  water, 
and  boil  them  two  hours:  take  them  up  and  put  them 
in  a  colander  to  drain,  and  afterwards  chop  them  on  a 
board;  then  put  them  in  a  sauce-pan,  sprinkle  a  little 
flour  over  them,  and  put  in  a  large  piece  of  butter, 
with  a  little  milk  or  cream.  Set  them  over  the.  fire. 


92  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

and  when  the  butter  is  melted,  they  will  be  dono 
enough.  This  is  a  good  sauce  for  mutton  also. 

LOBSTER  SAUCE. 

Boil  a  little  mace,  and  whole  pepper,  long  enough 
to  take  out  the  strong  taste  o.f  the  spice;  then  strain 
it  off,  and  melt  three  quarters  of  a  pound  of  butter  in 
it.  Cut  the  lobster  in  very  small  pieces,  and  stew  it 
till  it  is  tender. 


SHRIMP  SAUCE. 

Wash  half  a  pint  of  shrimps  very  clean — mince 
and  put  them  in  a  stew-pan,  with  a  spoonful  of  an¬ 
chovy  liquor,  and  a  pound  of  thick  melted  butter; 
boil  it  up  for  five  minutes,  and  squeeze  in  half  a 
lemon.  Toss  it  up,  and  put  it  in  a  sauce-boat. 

OYSTER  SAUCE  FOR  FISH. 

Scald  a  pint  of  oysters,  and  strain  them  through  a 
sieve;  then  wash  some  more  in  cold  water,  and  take 
off  their  beards;  put  them  in  a  stew-pan,  and  pour 
the  liquor  over  them;  then  add  a  large  spoonful  of 
anchovy  liquor,  half  a  lemon,  two  blades  of  mace, 
and  thicken  it  with  butter  rolled  in  flour.  Put  in  half 
a  pound  of  butter,  and  boil  it  till  it  is  melted — take 
out  the  mace  and  lemon,  and  squeeze  the  lemon  juice 
into  the  sauce;  boil  it,  and  stir  it  all  the  time,  and 
put  it  in  a  boat. 


CELERY  SAUCE. 

Wash  and  pare  a  large  bunch  of  celery  very  clean 
cut  it  into  little  bits,  and  boil  it  softly  till  it  is  tender; 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  ttt 

add  half  a  pint  of  cream,  some  mace,  nutmeg,  and  a 
small  piece  of  butter  rolled  in  flour;  then  boil  it  gently. 
This  is  a  good  sauce  for  roasted  or  boiled  fowls,  tur¬ 
keys,  partridges,  or  any  other  game. 


MUSHROOM  SAUCE. 

Clean  and  wash  one  quart  of  fresh  mushrooms, 
cut  them  in  two,  and  put  them  into  a  stew-pan,  with 
a  little  salt,  a  blade  of  mace,  and  a  little  butter;  stew 
them  gently  for  half  an  hour,  and  then  add  half  a  pint 
of  cream,  and  the  yelks  of  two  eggs  beat  very  well — 
keep  stirring  it  till  it  boils  up.  Put  it  over  the  fowls 
or  turkies — or  you  may  put  it  on  a  dish  with  a  piece 
of  fried  bread  first  buttered — then  toasted  brown,  and 
just  dipped  into  boiling  water.  This  is  very  good 
sauce  for  white  fowls  of  all  kinds. 


COMMON  SAUCE. 

Plain  butter  melted  thick,  with  a  spoonful  of  wal¬ 
nut  pickle  or  catsup,  is  a  very  good  sauce;  but  you 
may  put  as  many  things  as  you  choose  into  sauces. 


TO  MELT  BUTTER. 

Nothing  is  more  simple  than  this  process,  and 
nothing  so  generally  done  badly.  Keep  a  quart  tin 
sauce-pan,  with  a  cover  to  it,  exclusively  for  this  pur¬ 
pose;  weigh  one  quarter  of  a  pound  of  good  butter; 
rub  into  it  two  tea-spoonsful  of  flour;  when  well  mixed, 
put  it  in  the  sauce-pan  with  one  table-spoonful  of 
water,  and  a  little  salt;  cover  it,  and  set  the  sauce-pan 


94  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

in  a  larger  one  of  boiling  water;  shake  it  constantly 
till  completely  melted,  and  beginning  to  boil.  If  the 
pan  containing  the  butter  be  set  on  coals,  it  will  oil 
the  butter  and  spoil  it.  This  quantity  is  sufficient  foi 
one  sauce-boat.  A  great  variety  of  delicious  sauces 
can  be  made,  by  adding  different  herbs  to  melted  but¬ 
ter,  all  of  which  are  excellent  to  eat  with  fish,  poultry, 
or  boiled  butchers’  meat.  To  begin  with  parsley — 
wash  a  large  bunch  very  clean,  pick  the  leaves  from 
the  stems  carefully,  boil  them  ten  minutes  in  salt  and 
water,  drain  them  perfectly  dry,  mince  them  exceed¬ 
ingly  fine,  and  stir  them  in  the  butter  when  it  begins 
to  melt.  When  herbs  are  added  to  butter,  you  must 
put  two  spoonsful  of  water  instead  of  one.  Chervil, 
young  fennel,  burnet,  tarragon,  and  cress,  or  pepper- 
grass,  may  all  be  used,  and  must  be  prepared  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  parsley. 


CAPER  SAUCE, 

Is  made  by  mixing  a  sufficient  quantity  of  capers, 
and  adding  them  to  the  melted  butter,  with  a  little  of 
the  liquor  from  the  capers;  where  capers  cannot  be 
obtained,  pickled  nasturtiums  make  a  very  good  sub¬ 
stitute,  or  even  green  pickle  minced  and  put  with  the 
butter. 


OYSTER  CATSUP. 

Get  fme  fresh  oysters,  wash  them  in  their  owr, 
liquor,  put  them  in  a  marble  mortar  with  salt,  pounded 
mace,  and  cayenne  pepper,  in  the  proportions  of  one 
ounce  salt,  two  drachms  mace,  and  one  of  cayenne 
to  each  pint  of  oysters;  pound  them  together,  and  ado! 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


95 


a  pint  of  white  wine  to  each  pint;  boil  it  some  minutes, 
and  rub  it  through  a  sieve;  boil  it  again,  skim#it,  and 
when  cold,  bottle,  cork,  and  seal  it.  This  composition 
gives  a  fine  flavour  to  white  sauces,  and  if  a  glass  of 
Drandy  be  added,  it  will  keep  good  for  a  considerable 
time. 


CELERY  VINEGAR. 

Pound  two  gills  of  celery  seed,  put  it  into  a  bottle 
m&l  fill  it  with  strong  vinegar;  shake  it  every  day  for 
a  fortnight,  then  strain  it,  and  keep  it  for  use.  It  will 
impart  a  pleasant  flavour  of  celery  to  any  thing  with 
which  it  is  used.  A  very  delicious  flavour  of  thyme 
may  be  obtained,  by  gathering  it  when  in  full  perfec¬ 
tion;  it  must  be  picked  from  the  stalks,  a  large  hand 
ful  of  it  put  into  a  jar,  and  a  quart  of  vinegar  or 
brandy  poured  on  it;  cover  it  very  close — next  day, 
take  all  the  thyme  out,  put  in  as  much  more;  do  this 
a  third  time;  then  strain  it,  bottle  and  seal  it  securely. 
This  is  greatly  preferable  to  the  dried  thyme  com¬ 
monly  used,  during  the  season  when  it  cannot  be 
obtained  in  a  fresh  state.  Mint  may  be  prepared  in 
the  same  way.  The  flavour  of  both  these  herbs  must 
be  preserved  by  care  in  the  preparation:  if  permitted 
to  stand  more  than  twenty  hours  in  the  liquor  they 
are  infused  in,  a  coarse  and  bitter  taste  will  be  ex¬ 
tracted,  particularly  from  mint. 

VEGETABLES. 

TO  DRESS  SALAD. 

To  have  this  delicate  dish  in  perfection,  the  lettuce, 
pepper  grass,  chervil,  cress,  &c.  should  he  gathered 


96  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

early  in  the  morning,  nicely  picked,  washed,  and  laid 
'n  cold  water,  which  will  be  improved  by  adding  ice; 
just  before  dinner  is  ready  to  be  served,  drain  the 
water  from  your  salad,  cut  it  into  a  bowl,  giving  the 
proper  proportions  of  each  plant;  prepare  the  follow¬ 
ing  mixture  to  pour  over  it:  boil  two  fresh  eggs  ten 
minutes,  put  them  in  water  to  cool,  then  take  the 
yelks  in  a  soup  plate,  pour  on  them  a  table  spoonful 
of  cold  water,  rub  them  with  a  wooden  spoon  until 
they  are  perfectly  dissolved;  then  add  two  spoonsful 
of  oil:  when  well  mixed,  put  in  a  teaspoonful  of  salt, 
one  of  powdered  sugar,  and  one  of  made  mustard; 
when  all  these  are  united  and  quite  smooth,  stir  in 
two  table  spoonsful  of  common,  and  two  of  tarragon 
vinegar;  put  it  over  the  salad,  and  garnish  the  top 
with  the  whites  of  the  eggs  cut  into  rings,  and  lay 
around  the  edge  of  the  bowl  young  scallions,  they 
being  the  most  delicate  of  the  onion  tribe. 


TO  BOIL  POTATOS. 

Wash  them,  but  do  not  pare  or  cut  them,  unless 
they  are  very  large;  fill  a  sauce-pan  half  full  of  pota- 
tos  of  equal  size,  (or  make  them  so  by  dividing  the 
large  ones,)  put  to  them  as  much  cold  water  as  will 

cover  them  about  an  inch;  they  are  sooner  boiled,  and 
more  savoury,  than  when  drowned  in  water;  most 

boiled  things  are  spoiled  by  having  too  little  water, 
but  potatos  are  often  spoiled  by  having  too  much; 
they  must  merely  be  covered,  and  a  little  allowed  for 
waste  in  boiling,  so  that  they  must  be  just  covered 
when  done.  Set  them  on  a  moderate  fire  till  they 


THE  \  IRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  97 

boil,  then  take  them  off,  and  set  them  by  the  fire  to 
simmer  slowly,  till  they  are  soft  enough  to  admit  a 
fork;  (place  no  dependence  on  the  usual  test  of  their 
skin’s  cracking,  which,  if  they  are  boiled  fast,  will 
happen  to  some  potatos  when  they  are  not  half  done, 
and  the  inside  is  quite  hard,)  then  pour  off  the  water, 
(if  you  let  the  potatos  remain  in  the  water  a  moment 
after  they  are  done  enough,  they  will  become  waxy 
and  watery,)  uncover  the  sauce-pan,  and  set  it  at  such 
a  distance  from  the  fire  as  will  secure  it  from  burning; 
their  superfluous  moisture  will  evaporate,  and  the 
potatos  will  be  perfectly  dry  and  mealy.  You  may 
afterwards  place  a  napkin,  folded  up  to  the  size  of 
the  sauce-pan’s  diameter,  over  the  potatos,  to  keep 
them  dry  and  mealy  till  wanted,  this  method  of 
managing  potatos,  is,  in  every  respect,  equal  to  steam¬ 
ing  t’hem,  and  they  are  dressed  in  half  the  time. 


TO  FRY  SLICED  POTATOS. 

Peel  large  potatos,  slice  them  about  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  thick,  or  cut  them  in  shavings  round  and 
round,  as  you  would  peel  a  lemon;  dry  them  well  in 
a  clean  cloth,  and  fry  them  in  lard  or  dripping.  Take 
care  that  your  fat  and  frying-pan  are  quite  clean;  put 
it  on  a  quick  fire,  watch  it,  and  as  soon  as  the  lard 
boils  and  is  still,  put  in  the  slices  of  potatos,  and  keep 
moving  them  till  they  are  crisp;  take  them  up,  and 
lay  them  to  drain  on  a  sieve;  send  them  up  with 
very  little  salt  sprinkled  on  them. 


7 


9$  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

POTATOS  MASHED. 

When  the  potatos  are  thoroughly  boiled,  drain 
and  dry  them  perfectly,  pick  out  every  speck,  and 
rub  them  through  a  colander  into  a  clean  stew-pan; 
to  a  pound  of  potatos  put  half  an  ounce  of  butter,  and 
a  tablespoonful  of  milk;  do  not  make  them  too  moist; 
mix  them  well  together.  When  the  potatos  are  get¬ 
ting  old  and  specked,  and  in  frosty  weather,  this  is 
the  best  way  of  dressing  them — you  may  put  them 
into  shapes,  touch  them  over  with  yelk  of  egg,  and 
brown  them  very  slightly  before  a  slow  lire. 


POTATOS  MASHED  WITH  ONIONS. 

Prepare  some  onions  by  putting  them  through  a 
sieve,  and  mix  them  with  potatos;  in  proportioning 
the  onions  to  the  potatos,  you  will  be  guided  by  your 
wish  to  have  more  or  less  of  their  flavour. 


TO  ROAST  POTATOS. 

Wash  and  dry  your  potatos,  (all  of  a  size,)  and 
put  them  in  a  tin  Dutch  oven,  or  cheese  toaster;  take 
care  not  to  put  them  too  near  the  fire,  or  they  will 
get.  burned  on  the  outside  before  they  are  warmed 
through.  Large  potatos  will  require  two  hours  to 
roast  them.  To  save  time  and  trouble,  some  cooks 
half  boil  them  first. 


TO  ROAST  POTATOS  UNDER  MEAT. 
Half  boil  large  potatos,  drain  the  water  from  them, 
and  put  them  into  an  earthen  dish  or  small  tin  pan. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  01) 

under  meat  that  is  roasting,  and  baste  them  with  some 
of  the  dripping;  when  they  are  browned  on  one  side, 
turn  them  and  brown  the  other;  send  them  up  around 
the  meat,  or  in  a  small  dish. 


POTATO  BALLS. 

Mix  mashed  potatos  with  the  yelk  of  an  egg,  roll 
them  into  balls,  flour  them,  or  cover  them  with  egg 
and  bread  crumbs,  fry  them  in  clean  dripping,  or 
brown  them  in  a  Dutch  oven.  They  are  an  agreeable 
vegetable  relish,  and  a  supper  dish. 


JERUSALEM  ARTICHOKES, 

Are  boiled  and  dressed  in  the  various  ways  we  have 
just  before  directed  for  potatos.  They  should  be 
covered  with  thick  melted  butter,  or  a  nice  white  or 
brown  sauce. 


CABBAGE. 

Pick  cabbages  very  clean,  and  wash  them  thorough¬ 
ly;  then  look  them  carefully  over  again;  quarter 
them  if  they  are  very  large;  put  them  into  a  sauce  pan 
with  plenty  of  boiling  water;  if  any  skum  rises,  take 
it  oflf,  put  a  large  spoonful  of  salt  into  the  sauce  pan, 
and  boil  them  till  the  stalks  feel  tender.  A  young 
cabbage  will  take  about  twenty  minutes,  or  half  an 
hour;  when  full  grown,  nearly  an  hour;  see  that  they 
are  well  covered  with  water  all  the  time,  and  that  no 
dirt  or  smoke  arises  from  stirring  the  fire.  With 


100  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

careful  management,  they  will  look  as  beautiful  when 
dressed  as  they  did  when  growing.  It  will  much 
ameliorate  the  flavour  of  strong  old  cabbages,  to  boil 
them  in  two  waters,  i..  e.  when  they  are  half  done,  to 
take  them  out,  and  put  them  into  another  sauce  pan 
of  boiling  water. 


SAVOYS, 

Are  boiled  in  the  same  manner;  quarter  them  when 
you  send  them  to  table. 


SPROUTS  AND  YOUNG  GREENS 
The  receipt  written  for  cabbages  will  answer  as 
well  for  sprouts,  only  they  will  be  boiled  enough  in 
fifteen  minutes. 


ASPARAGUS. 

Set  a  stew-pan  with  plenty  of  water  on  the  fire, 
sprinkle  a  handful  of  salt  in  it,  let  it  boil,  and  skim  it; 
then  put  in  the  asparagus  prepared  thus:  scrape  all  the 
stalks  till  they  are  perfectly  clean;  throw  them  into  a 
pan  of  cold  water  as  you  scrape  them;  when  they  are 
all  done,  tie  them  in  little  bundles,  of  a  quarter  of  a 
hundred  each,  with  bass,  if  you  can  get  it,  or  tape;  cut 
off  the  stalks  at  the  bottom,  that  they  may  be  all  of  a 
length;  when  they  are  tender  at  the  stalk,  which 
will  be  in  from  twenty  to  thirty  minutes,  they  arc 
done  enough.  Great  care  must  be  taken  to  watch  the 
exact  time  of  their  becoming  tender;  take  them  just 
at  that  instant,  and  they  will  have  their  true  flavour 
and  colour;  a  minute  or  two  more  boiling  destroys 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


101 


both.  While  the  asparagus  is  boiling,  toast  a  slice 
of  a  loaf  of  bread,  about  a  half  an  inch  thick;  brown 
it  delicately  on  both  sides;  dip  it  lightly  in  the  liquor 
the  asparagus  was  boiled  in,  and  lay  it  in  the  middle 
of  a  dish;  pour  some  melted  butter  on  the  toast,  and 
lay  the  asparagus  upon  it;  let  it  project  beyond  the 
asparagus,  that  the  company  may  see  there  is  a 
toast.  Do  not  pour  butter  over  them,  but  send  some 
in  a  boat. 


SEA-KALE, 

Is  tied  up  in  bundles,  and  dressed  in  the  same  way 
as  asparagus. 


TO  SCOLLOP  TOMATOS. 

Peel  off  the  skin  from  large,  full,  ripe  tomatos — 
put  a  layer  in  the  bottom  of  a  deep  dish,  cover  it  well 
with  bread  grated  fine;  sprinkle  on  pepper  and  salt, 
and  lay  some  bits  of  butter  over  them — put  another 
layer  of  each,  till  the  dish  is  full — let  the  top  be 
covered  with  crumbs  and  butter — bake  it  a  nice  brown. 


TO  STEW  TOMATOS. 

Take  off  the  skin,  and  put  them  in  a  pan  with  salt, 
pepper,  and  a  large  piece  of  butter — stew  them  till 
sufficiently  dry. 


CAULIFLOWER. 

Choose  those  that  are  close  and  white,  and  of  a 
middle  size — 4rim  off  the  outside  leaves,  cut  off  the 


102 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


stalk  flat  at  the  bottom,  let  them  lie  in  salt  and  water 
an  hour  before  you  boil  them.  Put  them  in  boiling 
water,  with  a  handful  of  salt  in  it — skim  it  well,  and 
lot  it  boil  slowly  till  done,  which  a  small  one  will  bo 
in  fifteen  minutes,  a  large  %ne  in  twenty — and  take  it 
up  the  moment  it  is  enough:  a  few  minutes  longer 
boiling  will  spoil  it. 


RED  BEET  ROOTS, 

Are  not  so  much  used  as  they  deserve  to  be;  they 
are  dressed  in  the  same  way  as  parsnips,  only  neither 
scraped  nor  cut  till  after  they  are  boiled;  they  will 
take  from  an  hour  and  a  half  to  three  hours  in  boiling, 
according  to  their  size;  to  be  sent  to  the  table  with 
salt  fish,  boiled  beef,  &c.  When  young,  small  and 
juicy,  it  is  a  very  good  variety,  an  excellent  garnish, 
and  easily  converted  into  a  very  cheap  and  pleasan* 
pickle. 


PARSNIPS, 

Are  to  be  cooked  just  in  the  same  manner  as  car¬ 
rots;  they  require  more  or  less  time,  according  to  their 
size;  therefore  match  them  in  size,  and  you  must  try 
them  oy  thrusting  a  fork  into  them  as  they  are  in  the 
water;  when  this  goes  easily  through,  they  are  done 
enough:  boil  them  from  an  hour  to  two  hours,  ac¬ 
cording  to  their  size  and  freshness.  Parsnips  are 
sometimes  sent  up  mashed  in  the  same  way  aw 
turnips. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


103 


CARROTS. 

Let  them  be  well  washed  and  scraped — an  hour  is 
enough  for  young  spring  carrots;  grown  carrots  will 
take  from  an  hour  and  a  half  to  two  hours  and  a  half. 
The  best  way  to  try  if  they  are  done  enough,  is  tr 
pierce  them  with  a  fork. 


•TURNIPS. 

Peel  off  half  an  inch  of  the  stringy  outside — full 
grown  turnips  will  take  about  an  hour  and  a  half 
gentle  boiling;  try  them  with  a  fork,  and  when  ten¬ 
der,  take  them  up,  and  lay  them  on  a  sieve  till  the 
water  is  thoroughly  drained  from  them;  send  them  up 
whole;  to  very  young  turnips,  leave  about  two  inches 
of  green  top;  the  old  ones  are  better  when  the  water 
is  changed  as  directed  for  cabbage. 


TO  MASH  TURNIPS. 

When  they  are  boiled  quite  tender,  squeeze  them 
as  dry  as  possible — put  them  into  a  sauce  pan,  mash 
them  with  a  wooden  spoon,  and  rub  them  through  a 
colander;  add  a  little  bit  of  butter,  keep  stirring  them 
till  the  butter  is  melted  and  well  mixed  with  them, 
and  they  are  ready  for  table. 


TURNIP  TOPS, 

Are  the  shoots  which  grow  out,  (in  the  spring.) 
from  the  old  turnip  roots.  Put  them  in  cold  water 
an  hour  before  they  are  dressed;  the  more  water  tliev 


104  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE* 

are  boiled  in,  the  better  they  will  look;  if  boiled  in 
a  small  quantity  of  water,  they  will  taste  bitter;  when 
the  water  boils,  put  in  a  small  handful  of  salt,  and 
then  your  vegetables;  they  are  still  better  boiled  with 
bacon  in  the  Virginia  style:  if  fresh  and  young,  they 
will  be  done  in  about  twenty  minutes — drain  them  on 
the  back  of  a  sieve,  and  put  them  under  the  bacon. 


FRENCH  BEA-NS. 

Cut  off  the  stalk  end  first,  and  then  turn  to  the 
point  and  strip  off  the  strings;  if  not  quite  fresh, 
have  a  bowl  of  spring  water,  with  a  little  salt  dissolved 
in  it,  standing  before  you;  as  the  beans  are  cleansed 
and  trimmed,  throw  them  in;  when  all  are  done,  put 
them  on  the  fire  in  boiling  water,  with  some  salt  in 
it;  when  they  have  boiled  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes, 
take  one  out  and  taste  it;  as  soon  as  they  are  tender, 
take  them  up,  and  throw  them  into  a  colander  to 
drain.  To  send  up  the  beans  whole,  when  they  are 
young,  is  much  the  best  method,  and  their  delicate 
flavour  and  colour  is  much  better  preserved.  When 
a  little  more  grown,  they  must  be  cut  lengthwise  in 
thin  slices  after  stringing;  and  for  common  tables, 
they  are  split,  and  divided  across;  but  those  who  are 
nice,  do  not  use  them  at  such  a  growth  as  to  require 
splitting. 


ARTICHOKES. 

Soak  them  in  cold  water,  wash  them  well,  then  put 
them  into  plenty  of  boiling  water,  with  a  handful  of 
salt,  and  let  them  boil  gently  till  they  are  tender, 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  105 

which  will  take  an  hour  and  a  half,  or  two  hours;  the 
surest  way  to  know  when  they  are  done  enough,  is  to 
draw  out  a  leaf;  trim  them,  and  drain  them  on  a  sieve, 
and  send  up  melted  butter  with  them,  with  some  put 
into  small  cups,  so  that  each  guest  may  have  one. 


BROCOLI. 

The  kind  which  bears  flowers  around  the  joints  of 
the  stalks,  must  be  cut  into  convenient  lengths  for  the 
dish;  scrape  the  skin  from  the  stalk,  and  pick  out  any 
leaves  or  flowers  that  require  to  be  removed;  tie  it  up 
in  bunches,  and  boil  it  as  asparagus;  serve  it  up  hot, 
with  melted  butter  poured  over  it.  The  brocoli  that 
heads  at  the  top  like  cauliflowers,  must  oe  dressed  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  cauliflower. 


PEAS. 

To  have  them  in  perfection,  they  must  be  quite 
young,  gathered  early  in  the  morning,  kept  in  a  cool 
place,  and  not  shelled  until  they  are  to  be  dressed; 
put  salt  in  the  water,  and  when  it  boils,  put  in  the 
peas;  boil  them  quick  twenty  or  thirty  minutes,  ac¬ 
cording  to  their  age;  just  before  they  are  taken  up, 
add  a  little  mint  chopped  very  fine;  drain  all  the 
water  from  the  peas,  put  in  a  bit  of  butter,  and  serve 
diem  up  quite  hot. 


PUREE  OF  TURNIPS. 

Pare  a  dozen  large  turnips,  slice  them,  and  put 
them  into  a  stew-pan,  with  four  ounces  of  butter  and 
a  little  salt;  set  the  pan  over  a  moderate  fire,  tun 


106 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


them  often  with  a  wooden  spoon;  when  they  look 
white,  add  a  ladle  full  of  veal  gravy,  stew  them  till 
it  becomes  thick;  skim  it,  and  pass  it  through  a  sieve; 
put  the  turnips  in  a  dish,  and  pour  the  gravy  ove^ 
them. 


RAGOUT  OF  TURNIPS. 

Peel  as  many  small  turnips  as  will  fill  a  dish;  put 
them  into  a  stew  pan  with  some  butter  and  a  little 
sugar,  set  them  over  a  hot  stove,  shake  them  about, 
and  turn  them  till  they  are  a  good  brown;  pour 
in  half  a  pint  of  rich  high  seasoned  gravy;  stew  the 
turnips  till  tender,  and  serve  them  with  the  gravv 
poured  ovei  ll.em. 


RAGOUT  OF  FRENCH  BEANS,  SNAPS, 
STRING  BEANS. 

Let  them  be  young  and  fresh  gathered,  string  them, 
and  cut  them  in  long  thin  slices;  throw  them  in  boil¬ 
ing  water  for  fifteen  minutes;  have  ready  some  well 
seasoned  brown  gravy,  drain  the  water  from  the  beans, 
put  them  in  the  gravy,  stew  them  a  few  minutes,  and 
serve  them  garnished  with  forcemeat  balls;  there  must 
not  be  gravy  enough  to  float  the  beans. 


MAZAGAN  BEANS. 

This  is  the  smallest  and  most  delicate  species  of 
the  Windsor  bean.  Gather  them  in  the  morning, 
when  thejr  are  full  grown,  but  quite  young,  and  do 
not  shell  them  till  you  are  going  to  dress  them.  Put 
them  into  boiling  water,  have  a  small  bit  of  middling. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  107 

(flitch,)  of  bacon,  well  boiled — take  the  skin  off,  cover 
it  with  bread  crumbs,  and  toast  it;  lay  this  in  the  mid¬ 
dle  of  the  dish,  drain  all  the  water  from  the  beans — 
put  a  little  butter  with  them,  and  pour  them  round  the 
bacon.  When  the  large  Windsor  beans  are  used,  it 
is  best  to  put  them  into  boiling  water  until  the  skins 
will  slip  off,  and  then  make  them  into  a  puree  as 
directed  for  turnips — they  are  very  coarse  when  plainly 
dressed. 

(  <a 

LIMA,  OR  SUGAR  BEANS. 

Like  all  other  spring  and  summer  vegetables,  they 
must  be  young  and  freshly  gathered:  boil  them  till 
tender,  drain  them,  add  a  little  butter,  and  serve  them 
up.  These  beans  are  easily  preserved  for  winter 
use,  and  will  be  nearly  as  good  as  fresh  ones.  Gather 
them  on  a  dry  day,  when  full  grown,  blit  quite  young: 
have  a  clean  and  dry  keg,  sprinkle  some  salt  in  the 
bottom,  put  in  a  layer  of  pods,  containing  the  beans, 
then  a  little  salt — do  this  till  the  keg  is  full;  lay  a 
board  on  with  a  weight,  to  press  them  down;  cover 
the  keg  very  close,  and  keep  it  in  a  dry,  cool  place — 
they  should  be  put  up  as  late  in  the  season,  as  they 
can  be  with  convenience.  When  used,  the  pods  must 
be  washed,  and  laid  in  fresh  water  all  night;  shell 
them  next  day,  and  keep  them  in  water  till  you  arc 
going  to  boil  them;  when  tender,  serve  them  up  with 
melted  butter  in  a  boat.  French  beans  (snaps)  may 
be  preserved  in  the  same  manner. 


TURNIP  ROOTED  CABBAGE. 

The  cabbage  growing  at  the  top  is  not  good;  cut 
the  root  in  slices  an  inch  thick,  peel  off  the  rind,  and 


108 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIi'E. 


boil  the  slices  in  a  large  quantity  of  water,  till  tender, 
serve  it  up  hot,  with  melted  butter  poured  over  it. 

EGG  PLANT. 

Thf,  purple  ones  are  best;  get  them  young  and  fresh; 
pull  out  the  stem,  arid  parboil  them  to  take  off  the 
bitter  taste;  cut  them  in  slices  an  inch  thick,  but  do 
not  peel  them;  dip  them  in  the  yelk  of  an  egg,  and 
cover  them  with  grated  bread,  a  little  salt  and  pepper — 
when  this  has  dried,  cover  the  other  side  the  same 
way — fry  them  a  nice  brown.  They  are  very  deli¬ 
cious,  tasting  much  like  soft  crabs.  The  egg  plant 
may  be  dressed  in  another  manner:  scrape  the  rind 
and  parboil  them;  cut  a  slit  from  one  end  to  the  other, 
take  out  the  seeds,  fill  the  space  with  a  rich  force¬ 
meat,  and  stew  them  in  well  seasoned  gravy,  or  bake 
them,  and  serve  up  with  gravy  in  the  dish. 

POTATO  PUMPKIN 

Get  one  of  a  good  colour,  and  seven  or  eight  inches 
in  diameter;  cut  a  piece  off  the  top,  take  out  all  the 
seeds,  wash  and  wipe  the  cavity,  pare  the  rind  off, 
and  fill  the  hollow  with  good  forcemeat — put  the  top 
on,  and  set  it  in  a  deep  pan,  to  protect  the  sides;  bake 
it  in  a  moderate  oven,  put  it  carefully  in  the  dish 
without  breaking,  and  it  will  look  like  a  handsome 
mould.  Another  way  of  cooking  potato  pumpkin  is 
to  cut  it  in  slices,  pare  off  the  rind,  and  make  a  puree 
as  directed  for  turnips. 

SWEET  POTATO. 

Take  those  that  are  nearly  of  the  same  size,  that 
they  may  be  done  equally — wash  them  clean,  but  do 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


109 


not  peel  them — boil  them  till  tender,  drain  the  water 
off,  and  put  them  on  tin  sheets  in  a  stove  for  a  few 
minutes  to  dry. 


SWEET  POTATOS  STEWED. 

Wash  and  wipe  them,  and  if  they  be  large,  cu\ 
them  in  two  lengths;  put  them  at  the  bottom  of  a  stew 
pan,  lay  over  some  slices  of  boiled  ham;  and  on  that, 
one  or  two  chickens  cut  up  with  pepper,  salt,  and  a 
bundle  of  herbs;  pour  in  some  water,  and  siew  them 
till  done,  then  take  out  the  herbs,  serve  the  stew  in  a 
deep  dish — thicken  the  gravy,  and  pour  over  it. 


SWEET  POTATOS  BROILED. 

Cut  them  across  without  peeling,  in  slices  half  an 
inch  thick,  broil  them  on  a  griddle,  and  serve  them 
with  butter  in  a  boat. 


SPINACH.  . 

Great  care  must  be  used  in  washing  and  picking  it 
clean:  drain  it,  and  throw  it  into  boiling  water — a  few 
minutes  will  boil  it  sufficiently:  press  out  all  the 
water,  put  it  in  a  stew  p-an  with  a  piece  of  butter, 
some  pepper  and  salt — chop  it  continually  with  a 
spoon  till  it  is  quite  dry:  serve  it  with  poached  eggs 
or  without,  as  you  please. 


SORREL. 

Is  dressed  as  the  spinach;  and  if  they  be  mixed  m 
equal  proportions,  improve  each  other. 


no 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


CABBAGE  PUDDING. 

Get  a  fine  head  of  cabbage,  not  too  large;  pom 
boiling  water  on,  and  cover  it  till  you  can  turn  the 
leaves  back,  which  you  must  do  carefully;  take  some 
of  those  in  the  middle  of  the  head  off,  chop  them 
fine,  and  mix  them  with  rich  forcemeat;  put  this  in, 
and  replace  the  leaves  to  confine  the  stuffing — tie  it  in 
a  cloth,  and  boil  it — serve  it  up  whole,  with  a  little 
melted  butter  in  the  dish. 


SQUASH  OR  CIMLIN. 

Gather  young  squashes,  peel,  and  cut  them  in  two; 
take  out  the  seeds,  and  boil  them  till  tender;  put 
them  into  a  cplander,  drain  off  the  water,  and  rub 
them  with  a  wooden  spoon  through  the  colander;  then 
put  them  into  a  stew  pan,  with  a  cup  full  of  cream,  a 
small  piece  of  butter,  some  pepper  and  salt — stew 
them,  stirring  very  frequently  until  dry.  This  is  the 
most  delicate  way  of  preparing  squashes. 


WINTER  SQUASH. 

The  crooked  neck  of  this  squash  is  the  best  part. 
Cut  it  in  slices  an  inch  thick,  take  off  the  rind,  and 
boil  them  with  salt  in  the  water;  drain  them  well 
oeiore  they  are  dished,  and  pour  melted  butter  over — 
serve  them  up  very  hot. 

The  large  part,  containing  the  seeds,  must  be  sliced 
and  pared — cut  it  in  small  pieces,  and  stew  it  till  soft, 
with  just  water  enough  to  cover  it;  pass  it  through  a 
sieve  and  stew  it  again,  adding  some  butter,  pepper. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  Ill 

and  salt;  it  must  be  dry,  but  not  burnt.  It  is  excellent 
when  stewed  with  pork  chops. 

FIELD  PEAS. 

There  are  many  varieties  of  these  peas;  the  smaller 
kind  are  the  most  delicate.  Have  them  young  and 
newly  gathered,  shell  and  boil  them  tender;  pour  them 
in  a  colander  to  drain;  put  some  lard  in  a  frying  pan; 
when  it  boils,  mash  the  peas,  and  fry  them  in  a  cake 
of  a  light  brown;  put  it  in  the  dish  with  the  crust 
uppermost — garnish  wdth  thin  bits  of  fried  bacon. 
They  are  very  nice  when  fried  whole,  so  that  each 
pea  is  distinct  from  the  other;  but  they  must  be  boiled 
less,  and  fried  with  great  care.  Plain  boiling  is  a  very 
common  way  of  dressing  them. 

CABBAGE  WITH  ONIONS. 

Boil  them  separately,  and  mix  them  in  the  pro¬ 
portions  you  like;  add  butter,  pepper,  and  salt,  and 
either  stew  them,  or  fry  them  in  a  cake. 


SALSIFY. 

Scrape  and  wash  the  roots,  put  them  into  boiling 
water  with  salt;  when  done,  drain  them,  and  place 
them  in  the  dish  without  cutting  them  up.  They  are 
a  very  excellent  vegetable,  but  require  nicety  in  cook¬ 
ing;  exposure  to  the  air,  either  in  scraping,  or  after 
boiling,  w  ill  make  them  black. 

STEWED  SALSIFY. 

Half  boil  it,  cut  it  up,  and  put  it  in  a  stew  pan, 
with  a  very  little  water,  and  a  spoonful  butter;  stew 


112  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

them  dry,  and  serve  them  up.  For  change,  you  may, 
after  stewing,  cut  them  in  scollop  shells  with  grated 
bread,  and  bake  them;  or  make  them  into  cakes,  and 
fry  them.  They  are  delicious  in  whatever  way  they 
can  be  dressed. 


STEWED  MUSHROOMS. 

Gather  grown  mushrooms,  but  such  as  are  young 
enough  to  have  red  gills;  cut  off  that  part  of  the  stem 
which  grew  in  the  earth — wash  them  carefully,  and 
take  the  skin  from  the  top;  put  them  into  a  stew  pan 
with  some  salt,  but  no  water — stew  them  till  tender, 
and  thicken  them  with  a  spoonful  of  butter,  mixed 
with  one  of  brown  flour;  red  wine  may  be  added,  but 
the  flavour  of  the  mushroom  is  too  delicious  to  require 
aid  from  any  thing. 


BROILED  MUSHROOMS. 

Prepare  them  as  above  directed — broil  them  on  a 
griddle,  and  when  done,  sprinkle  pepper  and  salt  on 
the  gills,  and  put  a  little  butter  on  them. 

TO  BOIL  RICE. 

Put  two  cups  full  of  rice  in  a  bowl  of  water,  rub  it 
well  with  the  hand,  and  pour  off  the  water;  do  this 
until  the  water  ceases  to  be  discoloured;  then  put  the 
rice  into  two  and  a  half  cups  of  cold  water;  add  a 
tea-spoonful  of  salt,  cover  the  pot  close,  and  set  it  on 
a  brisk  fire;  let  it  boil  ten  minutes,  pour  off  the 
greater  part  of  the  water,  and  remove  the  pot  to  a  bed 
of  coals,  where  it  must  remain  a  quarter  of  an  horn 
to  soak  and  dry. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  113 

RICE  JOURNEY,  OR  JOHNNY  CAKE. 

Boil  a  pint  of  rice  quite  soft,  with  a  tea-spoonftu 
or  salt;  mix  with  it  while  hot  a  large  spoonful  of  but¬ 
ter,  and  spread  it  on  a  dish  to  cool;  when  perfectly 
cold,  add  a  pint  of  rice  flour  and  half  a  pint  of  milk — 
beat  them  all  together  till  well  mingled.  Take  the 
middle  part  of  the  head  of  a  barrel,  make  it  quite 
clean,  wet  it,  and  put  on  the  mixture  about  an  inch 
thick,  smooth  with  a  spoon,  and  baste  it  with  a  little 
milk;  set  the  board  aslant  before  clear  coals;  when 
sufficiently  baked,  slip  a  thread  under  the  cake  and 
turn  it:  baste  and  bake  that  side  in  a  similar  manner, 
split  it,  and  butter  while  hot.  Small  homony  boiled 
and  mixed  with  rice  flour,  is  better  than  all  rice;  and 
if  baked  very  thin,  and  afterwards  toasted  and  but¬ 
tered,  it  is  nearly  as  good  as  cassada  bread. 


PUDDINGS,  &c. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  PUDDINGS  AND  CAKES 
The  salt  should  always  be  washed  from  butter, 
when  it  is  to  be  used  in  any  thing  that  has  sugar  for 
an  ingredient,  and  also  from  that  which  is  melted  to 
grease  any  kind  ol  mould  for  baking — otherwise,  there 
will  be  a  disagreeable  salt  taste  on  the  outer  side  of 
the  article  bake-d.  Raisins  should  be  stoned  and  cut 
in  two,  ar»d  have  some  flour  sifted  over  them — stir 
them  gently  in  the  flour,  and  take  them  out  free  from 
lumps;  the  small  quantity  that  adheres  to  them,  wi^ 
8 


114 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


prevent  their  sticking  together,  or  falling  in  a  mass  to 
the  bottom.  Eggs  must  be  fresh,  or  they  will  not 
heal  well:  it  is  better  to  separate  the  yelks  from  the 
whites  always,  though  it  is  a  more  troublesome  pro¬ 
cess;  but  for  some  things  it  is  essential  to  do  so: 
when  they  are  to  be  mixed  with  milk,  let  it  cool  after 
boiling,  or  the  eggs  will  poach;  and  only  set  it  on  the 
tire  a  few  minutes,  to  take  off  the  raw  taste  of  the 
eggs,  stirring  it  all  the  time.  Currants  require  wash¬ 
ing  in  many  waters  to  cleanse  them;  they  must  be 
picked  and  well  dried,  or  they  will  stick  together. 
Almonds  should  be  put  in  hot  water  till  the  skins  will 
slip  off,  which  is  called  blanching;  they  must  always 
be  pounded  with  rose  or  orange  flower  water,  to  pre¬ 
vent  their  oiling.  When  cream  is  used,  put  it  in  just 
before  the  mixture  is  ready;  much  beating  will  de¬ 
compose  it.  Before  a  pudding  or  cake  is  begun,  every 
ingredient  necessary  for  it  must  be  ready;  when  the 
process  is  retarded  by  neglecting  to  have  them  pre¬ 
pared,  the  article  is  injured.  The  oven  must  be  in  a 
proper  state,  and  the  paste  in  the  dishes  or  moulds, 
ready  for  such  things  as  require  it.  Promptitude  is 
necessary  in  all  our  actions,  but  never  more  so  than 
when  engaged  in  making  cakes  and  puddings.  When 
only  one  or  two  eggs  are  to  be  used,  cooks  generally 
think  it  needless  to  beat  them — it  is  an  error:  eggs 
injure  every  thing,  unless  they  are  made  light  be¬ 
fore  they  are  used.  Cloths  for  boiling  puddings 
should  be  made  ot  German  sheeting;  an  article  less 
thick,  will  admit  the  water,  and  injure  the  pudding. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


116 


RICE  MILK  FOR  A  DESSERT. 

Boil  half  a  pint  of  rice  in  water  till  tender  pour 
off  the  water,  and  add  a  pint  of  milk  with  two  eggs 
beaten  well,  stirred  into  it;  boil  all  together  two  or 
three  minutes;  serve  it  up  hot,  and  eat  it  with  butter, 
sugar,  and  nutmeg.  It  may  be  sweetened  and  cooled 
in  moulds,  turned  out  in  a  deep  dish,  and  surrounded 
with  rich  milk,  with  raspberry  marmalade  stirred  into 
it,  and  strained  to  keep  back  the  seeds — or  the  milk 
may  be  seasoned  with  wine  and  sugar. 


TO  MAKE  PUFF  PASTE. 

Sift  a  quart  of  flour,  leave  out  a  little  lor  rolling 
the  paste,  make  up  the  remainder  with  cold  water  into 
a  stiff  paste,  knead  it  well,  and  roll  it  out  several 
times;  wash  the  salt  from  a  pound  of  butter,  divide  it 
into  four  parts,  put  one  of  them  on  the  paste  in  little 
bits,  fold  it  up,  and  continue  to  roll  it  till  the  butter  is 
well  mixed;  then  put  another  portion  of  butter,  roll 
it  in  the  same  manner;  do  this  till  all  the  butter  is 
mingled  with  the  paste;  touch  it  very  lightly  with  the 
hands  in  making — bake  it  in  a  moderate  oven,  that 
will  permit  it  to  rise,  but  will  not  make  it  biown. 
Good  paste  must  look  white,  and  as  light  as  a  feather. 


TO  MAKE  MINCEMEAT  FOR  PIES. 

Boil  either  calves  or  hogs’  feet  till  perfectly  tender, 
rub  them  through  a  colander;  when  cold,  pass  them 
through  again,  and  it  will  come  out  like  pearl  barley; 


IM>  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

take  one  quart  of  this,  one  of  chopped  apples,  the  same 
of  currants,  washed  and  picked,  raisins  stoned  and  cut, 
of  good  brown  sugar,  suet  nicely  chopped,  and  cider, 
with  a  pint  of  brandy;  add  a  tea-spoonful  of  pounded 
mace,  one  of  cloves  and  of  nutmegs;  mix  all  these 
together  intimately.  When  the  pies  are  to  be  made, 
take  out  as  much  of  this  mixture  as  may  be  necessary; 
to  each  quart  of  it,  add  a  tea-spoonful  of  pounded 
black  pepper,  and  one  of  salt;  this  greatly  improves 
the  llavour,  and  can  be  better  mixed  with  a  small  por¬ 
tion  than  with  the  whole  mass.  Cover  the  moulds 
with  paste,  put  in  a  sufficiency  of  mincemeat,  cover 
the  top  with  citron  sliced  thin,  and  lay  on  it  a  lid 
garnished  around  with  paste  cut  in  fanciful  shapes. 
They  may  be  eaten  either  hot  or  cold,  but  are  best 
when  hot. 


TO  MAKE  JELLY  FROM  FEET. 

Boil  four  calfs’  feet,  that  have  been  nicely  cleaned, 
and  the  hoofs  taken  off;  when  the  feet  are  boiled  to 
pieces,  strain  the  liquor  through  a  colander,  and  when 
cold,  take  all  the  grease  off,  and  put  the  jelly  in  a 
skillet,  leaving  the  dregs  which  will  be  at  the  bottom. 
There  should  be  from  four  feet,  about  two  quarts  of 
jelly:  pour  into  it  one  quart  of  white  wine,  the  juice 
of  six  fresh  lemons  strained  from  the  seeds,  one  pound 
and  a  half  of  powdered  loaf  sugar,  a  little  pounded 
cinnamon  and  mace,  and  the  rind  thinly  pared  from 
two  of  the  lemons;  wash  eight  eggs  very  clean,  whip 
up  the  whites  to  a  froth,  crush  the  shells  and  put  with 
them,  mix  it  with  the  jelly,  set  it  on  the  fire,  stir  i\ 
occasionally  till  the  jelly  is  melted,  but  do  not  touch 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  117 

it  afterwards.  When  it  has  boiled  till  it  looks  quite 
clear  on  one  side,  and  the  dross  accumulates  on  the 
other,  take  off  carefully  the  thickest  part  of  the  dross, 
and  pour  the  jelly  in  the  bag;  put  back  what  runs 
through,  until  it  becomes  quite  transparent — then  set 
a  pitcher  under  the  bag,  and  put  a  cover  all  over  to 
keep  out  the  dust:  the  jelly  looks  much  prettier  when 
it  is  broken  to  fill  the  glasses.  The  bag  should  be 
made  of  cotton  or  linen,  and  be  suspended  in  a  frame 
made  for  the  purpose.  The  feet  of  hogs  make  the 
palest  coloured  jelly;  those  of  sheep  are  a  beautiful 
amber-colour,  when  prepared. 


A  SWEETMEAT  PUDDING. 

Make  a  quart  of  flour  into  puff  paste;  when  done, 
divide  it  into  three  parts  of  unequal  size;  roll  the 
largest  out  square  and  moderately  thin,  spread  over  it 
a  thin  layer  of  marmalade,  leaving  a  margin  all 
round  about  an  inch  broad;  roll  the  next  largest  in 
the  same  manner,  lay  it  on,  cover  that  with  marmalade, 
leaving  a  margin;  then  roll  the  smallest,  and  put  it  on 
the  other  two,  spreading  marmalade;  fold  it  up,  one 
fold  over  the  other,  the  width  of  your  hand — press  the 
ends  together,  tie  it  in  a  cloth  securely,  and  place  it 
in  a  kettle  of  boil-ing  water,  where  it  can  lie  at  length 
without  doubling;  boil  it  quickly,  and  when  done, 
pour  melted  butter  with  sugar  and  wine  in  the  dish. 


TO  MAKE  AN  ORANGE  PUDDING. 

Put  two  oranges  and  two  lemons,  into  five  quarts 
of  water — boil  them  till  the  rinds  are  quite  tender; 


118  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

take  them  out,  and  when  cold,  slice  them  thin,  and 
pick  out  the  seeds;  put  a  pound  of  loaf  sugar  into  a 
pint  of  water — when  it  boils,  slice  into  it  twelve 
pippins  pared  and  cored — lay  in  the  lemons  and 
oranges,  stew  them  tender,  cover  the  dish  with  puff 
paste,  lay  the  fruit  in  carefully,  in  alternate  layers — 
pour  on  the  syrup,  put  some  slips  of  paste  across, 
and  bake  it. 


AN  APPLE  CUSTARD. 

Pare  and  core  twelve  pippins,  slice  them  tolerably 
thick,  put  a  pound  of  loaf  sugar  in  a  stew  pan,  with 
a  pint  of  water  and  twelve  cloves:  boil  and  skim  it, 
then  put  in  the  apples,  and  stew  them  till  clear,  and 
but  little  of  the  syrup  remains — -lay  them  in  a  deep 
dish,  and  take  out  the  cloves;  when  the  apples  are 
cold,  pour  in  a  quart  of  rich  boiled  custard — set  it  in 
water,  and  make  it  boil  till  the  cu-stard  is  set — take 
care  the  wate»r  does  not  get  into  it. 

BOILED  LOAF. 

Pour  a  quart  of  boiling  milk  over  four  little  rolls  of 
bread — cover  them  up,  turning  them  occasionally  till 
saturated  with  the  milk;  tie  them  very  tight  in  cloths, 
and  boil  them  an  hour;  lay  them  in  the  dish,  and  pour 
a  little  melted  butter  over  them;  for  sauce,  have  but 
ter  in  a  boat,  seasoned  with  wine,  sugar,  and  grated 
nutmeg. 


TRANSPARENT  PUDDING. 

Beat  eight  eggs  very  light,  add  half  a  pound  of 
pounded  sugar,  the  same  of  fresh  butter  melted,  and 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  119 

half  a  nutmeg  grated;  sit  it  on  a  stove,  and  keep 
stirring  till  it  is  as  thick  as  buttered  eggs — put  a  pufF 
paste  in  a  shallow  dish,  pour  in  the  ingredients,  and 
bake  it  half  an  hour  in  a  moderate  oven;  sift  sugar 
over  it,  and  serve  it  up  hot. 


FLUMMERY. 

One  measure  of  jelly,  one  of  cream,  and  half  a  one 
of  wine;  boil  it  fifteen  minutes  over  a  slow  fire,  stirring 
all  the  time;  sweeten  it,  and  add  a  spoonful  of  orange 
flower  or  rose  water;  cool  it  in  a  mould,  turn  it  in  a 
dish,  and  pour  around  it  cream,  seasoned  in  any  way 
you  like. 


BURNT  CUSTARD. 

Boil  a  quart  of  milk — and  when  cold,  mix  with  it 
the  yelks  of  eight  eggs;  stir  them  together  over  the 
fire  a  few  minutes;  sweeten  it  to  your  taste,  put  some 
slices  of  savoy  cake  in  the  bottom  of  a  deep  dish,  and 
pour  on  the  custard;  whip  the  whites  of  the  eggs  to 
a  strong  froth,  lay  it  lightly  on  the  top,  sift  some 
sugar  over  it,  and  hold  a  salamander  over  it  until  it  is 
a  light  brown;  garnish  the  top  with  raspberry  marma¬ 
lade,  or  any  kind  of  preserved  fruit. 


AN  ENGLISH  PLUM  PUDDING. 

Beat  eight  eggs  very  light,  add  to  them  a  pound  of 
flour  sifted,  and  a  pound  of  powdered  sugar;  when  it 
Wks  quite  light,  put  in  a  pound  of  suet  finely  shred, 
\  pint  of  milk,  a  nutmeg  grated,  and  a  gill  of  brandy; 


120  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

mix  with  it  a  pound  of  currants,  washed,  picked,  and 
dried,  and  a  pound  of  raisins  stoned  and  floured — tie 
it  in  a  thick  cloth,  and  boil  it  steadily  eight  hours. 


MARROW  PUDDING. 

Grate  a  large  loaf  of  bread,  and  pour  on  the  crumbs 
a  pint  of  rich  milk  bv>iling  hot;  when  cold,  add  four 
eggs,  a  pound  of  beef  marrow  sliced  thin,  a  gill  of 
brandy,  with  sugar  and  nutmeg  to  your  taste — mix  all 
well  together,  and  either  bake  or  boil  it*  when  done, 
stick  slices  of  citron  over  the  top. 


SIPPET  PUDDING. 

Cut  a  loaf  of  bread  as  thin  as  possible,  put  a  layer 
of  it  in  the  bottom  of  a  deep  dish,  strew  on  some 
slices  of  marrow  or  butter,  with  a  handful  of  currants 
or  stoned  raisins;  do  this  till  the  dish  is  full;  let  the 
currants  or  raisins  be  at  the  top;  beat  four  eggs,  mix 
with  them  a  quart  of  milk  that  has  been  boiled  a  little 
and  become  cold,  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  sugar,  and 
a  grated  nutmeg — pour  it  in,  and  bake  it  in  a  moderate 
oven — eat  it  with  wine  sauce. 


SWEET  POTATO  PUDDING. 

Boil  one  pound  of  sweet  potatos  very  tender,  rub 
diem  while  hot  through  a  colander;  add  six  eggs  well 
beaten,  three  quarters  of  a  pound  of  powdered  sugar, 
three  quarters  of  butter,  and  some  grated  nutmeg  and 
lemon  peel,  with  a  glass  of  brandy;  put  a  paste  in 
the  dish,  and  when  the  pudding  is  done,  sprinkle  the. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  121 

top  with  sugar,  and  cover  it  with  bits  of  citron.  Irish 
potato  pudding  is  made  in  the  same  manner,  but  is 
not  so  good. 


AN  ARROW  ROOT  PUDDING. 

Boil  a  quart  of  milk,  and  make  it  into  a  thick  bat¬ 
ter,  with  arrow  root;  add  six  eggs,  half  a  pound  of 
butter,  the  same  of  pounded  sugar,  half  a  nutmeg, 
and  a  little  grated  lemon  peel;  put  a  paste  in  the 
dish,  and  bake  it  nicely;  when  done,  sift  sugar  over 
it,  and  stick  slips  of  citron  all  over  the  top. 


SAGO  PUDDING. 

Wash  half  a  pound  of  sago  in  several  waters;  put 
it  on  to  boil  in  a  quart  of  milk,  with  a  stick  of  cin¬ 
namon;  stir  it  very  frequently,  for  it  is  apt  to  burn: 
when  it  becomes  quite  thick,  take  out  the  cinnamon, 
stir  it  in  half  a  pound  of  butter,  and  an  equal  quantity 
of  sugar,  with  a  gill  of  wrine;  when  cold,  add  six  eggs 
and  four  ounces  of  currants  that  have  been  plumped 
in  hot  water — bake  it  in  a  paste. 


PUFF  PUDDING. 

Beat  six  eggs,  add  six  spoonsful  of  milk,  and  six 
of  flour,  butter  some  cups,  pour  in  the  batter,  and 
bake  them  quickly;  turn  them  out,  and  eat  them  with 
butter,  sugar  and  nutmeg. 


RICE  PUDDING. 

Boil  half  a  pound  of  rice  in  milk,  until  it  is  quite 
tender;  beat  it  well  with  a  wooden  spoon  to  mash  the 


122 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


grains;  add  three  quarters  of  a  pound  of  sugar,  and 
the  same  of  melted  butter;  half  a  nutmeg,  six  eggs,  a 
gill  of  wine,  and  some  grated  lemon  peel;  put  a  paste 
in  the  dish,  and  bake  it.  For  change,  it  may  be  boiled, 
and  eaten  with  butter,  sugar,  and  wine. 


PLUM  PUDDING. 

Take  a  pound  of  the  best  flour,  sift  it,  and  make  it 
up  before  sunrise,  with  six  eggs  beaten  light;  a  large 
spoonful  of  good  yeast,  and  as  much  milk  as  will  make 
it  the  consistence  of  bread;  let  it  rise  well,  knead  into 
it  half  a  pound  of  butter,  put  in  a  grated  nutmeg,  with 
one  and  a  half  pounds  of  raisins  stoned  and  cut  up; 
mix  all  well  together,  wet  the  cloth,  flour  it,  and  tie  it 
loosely,  that  the  pudding  may  have  room  to  rise.  Rai¬ 
sins  for  puddings  or  cakes,  should  be  rubbed  in  a  little 
flour,  to  prevent  their  settling  to  the  bottom — see  that 
it  does  not  stick  to  them  in  lumps. 


ALMOND  PUDDING. 

Put  a  pound  of  sweet  almonds  in  hot  water  till  the 
skin  will  slip  off  them;  pound  them  with  a  little 
orange  flower  or  rose  water,  to  keep  them  from  oiling; 
mix  with  them  four  crackers,  finely  pounded,  or  two 
gills  of  rice  flour;  six  eggs,  a  pint  of  cream,  a  pound 
of  sugar,  half  a  pound  of  butter,  and  four  table- 
spoonsful  of  wine;  put  a  nice  paste  in  the  bottom  of 
your  dish,  garnish  the  edges,  pour  in  the  pudding,  and 
bake  it  in  a  moderate  oven 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


123 


QUIRE  OF  PAPER  PANCAKES. 

Beat  sixteen  eggs,  add  to  them  a  quart  of  milk,  a 
nutmeg,  half  a  pound  of  flour,  a  pound  of  melted 
butter,  a  pound  of  sugar,  and  two  gills  of  wine;  take 
care  the  flour  be  not  in  lumps;  butter  the  pan  for  the 
first  pancake,  run  them  as  thin  as  possible,  and  when 
coloured,  they  are  done;  do  not  turn  them,  but  lay 
them  carefully  in  the  dish,  sprinkling  powdered  sugar 
between  each  layer — serve  them  up  hot.  This  quantity 
will  make  four  dozen  pancakes. 


A  CURD  PUDDING. 

Put  two  quarts  of  milk  on  the  fire;  when  it  boils, 
pour  in  half  a  pint  of  white  wine,  strain  the  curd  from 
the  whey,  and  pound  it  in  a  mortar,  with  six  ounces 
of  butter,  half  a  pound  of  loaf  sugar,  and  half  a  pint 
of  rice  flour,  or  as  much  crackers  beaten  as  fine  as 
flour;  six  eggs  made  light,  and  half  a  grated  nutmeg- 
beat  all  well  together,  and  bake  them  in  saucers  in  a 
moderate  oven;  turn  them  out  carefully  in  your  dish, 
stick  thin  slices  of  citron  in  them,  and  pour  on  rich 
melted  butter,  with  sugar  and  wine. 


LEMON  PUDDING. 

Grate  the  rind  from  six  fresh  lemons,  squeeze  the 
juice  from  three,  and  strain  it;  beat  the  yelks  of  six- 
teen  eggs  very  light,  put  to  them  sixteen  table-spoons¬ 
ful  of  powdered  loaf  sugar,  not  heaped  up — the  same 
of  melted  butter;  add  the  grated  rind,  and  the  juice, 
with  four  crackers  finely  pounded,  or  an  equal  quantity 


124 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


of  rice  flour;  or  for  change,  six  ounces  of  corn  meal, 
which  is  excellent — beat  it  till  light,  put  a  puff  paste 
in  your  dish,  pour  the  pudding  in,  and  bake  it  in  a 
moderate  oven — it  must  not  be  very  brown. 


BREAD  PUDDING. 

Grate  the  crumb  of  a  stale  loaf,  and  pour  on  it  a 
pint  of  boiling  milk — let  it  stand  an  hour,  then  beat  it 
to  a  pulp;  add  six  eggs,  well  beaten,  half  a  pound  of 
butter,  the  same  of  powdered  sugar,  half  a  nutmeg, 
a  glass  of  brandy,  and  some  grated  lemon  peel — put 
a  paste  in  the  dish,  and  bake  it. 


THE  HENRIETTA  PUDDING. 

Beat  six  eggs  very  light,  sift  into  them  a  pound  of 
loaf  sugar  powdered,  and  a  light  pound  of  flour,  with 
half  a  grated  nutmeg,  and  a  glass  of  brandy;  beat  all 
together  very  well,  add  a  pint  of  creSm,  pour  it  in  a 
deep  dish,  and  bake  it — when  done,  sift  some  pow¬ 
dered  sugar  over  it. 


TANSEY  PUDDING. 

Beat  seven  eggs  very  light,  mix  with  them  a  pint 
of  cream,  and  nearly  as  much  spinach  juice,  with  a 
little  juice  of  tansey;  add  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of 
powdered  crackers  or  pounded  rice  made  fine,  a  glass 
of  wine,  some  grated  nutmeg  and  sugar;  stir  it  over 
the  fire  to  thicken,  pour  it  into  a  paste  and  bake  it,  o* 
fry  it  like  an  omelette. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


125 


CHERRY  PUDDING. 

Beat  six  eggs  very  light,  add  half  a  pint  cf  milk, 
six  ounces  flour,  eight  ounces  grated  bread,  twelve 
ounces  suet,  chopped  fine,  a  little  salt;  when  it  is  beat 
well,  mix  in  eighteen  ounces  preserved  cherries  or 
damsins;  bake  or  boil  it.  Make  a  sauce  of  melted  but¬ 
ter,  sugar  and  wine. 


APPLE  PIE. 

Put  a  crust  in  the  bottom  of  a  dish,  put  on  it  a 
layer  of  ripe  apples,  pared  and  sliced  thin — then  a 
layer  of  powdered  sugar;  do  this  alternately  till  the 
dish  is  full;  put  in  a  few  tea-spoonsful  of  rose  water 
and  some  cloves — put  on  a  crust  and  bake  it 


BAKED  APPLE  PUDDING. 

Take  well  flavoured  apples,  bake,  but  do  not  burn 
them,  rub  them  through  a  sieve,  take  one  pound  of 
the  apples  so  prepared,  mix  with  it,  while  hot,  half 
a  pound  of  butter,  and  half  a  pound  ^of  powdered 
sugar;  the  rinds  of  two  lemons  grated — and  when 
cold,  add  six  eggs  well  beaten;  put  a  paste  in  the 
bottom  of  a  dish,  and  pour  in  the  apples — half  an 
hour  will  bake  it;  sift  a  little  sugar  on  the  apples 
when  baked. 


A  NICE  BOILED  PUDDING. 

Make  up  a  pint  of  flour  at  sun  rise,  exactly  as  you 
do  for  bread;  see  that  it  rises  well — have  a  large  pot 


126  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

of  water  boiling;  and  half  an  hour  before  the  puddings 
are  to  go  to  table,  make  the  dough  in  balis,  the  size 
of  a  goose  egg;  throw  them  in  the  water,  and  boil 
them  quickly,  keeping  the  pot  covered:  they  must 
be  torn  asunder,  as  cutting  will  make  them  heavy; 
eat  them  with  powdered  sugar,  butter,  and  grated 
nutmeg. 


AN  EXCELLENT  AND  CHEAP  DESSERT 

DISH. 

4 

Wash  a  pint  of  small  homony  very  clean,  and  boil 
it  tender;  add  an  equal  quantity  of  corn  meal,  make 
it  into  a  batter  with  eggs,  milk,  and  a  piece  of  butter; 
bake  it  like  batter  cakes  on  a  griddle,  and  eat  it  with 
butter  and  molasses. 


SLICED  APPLE  PUDDING. 

Beat  six  eggs  very  light,  add  a  pint  of  rich  milk, 
pare  some  apples  or  peaches — slice  them  thin,  make 
the  eggs  and  milk  into  a  tolerably  thick  batter  with 
flour,  add  a  .small  cup  of  melted  butter,  put  in  the 
fruit,  and  bake  it  in  a  deep  dish — eat  with  sugar,  but¬ 
ter,  and  nutmeg. 


BAKED  INDIAN  MEAL  PUDDING. 

Boil  one  quart  of  milk,  mix  in  it  two  gills  and  a 
half  of  corn  meal  very  smoothly,  seven  eggs  well 
beaten,  a  gill  of  molasses,  and  a  good  piece  of  butter; 
bake  it  two  hours.  * 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  127 

BOILED  INDIAN  MEAL  PUDDING 
Mix  one  quart  of  com  meal,  with  three  quarts  of 
milk;  take  care  it  be  not  lumpy — add  three  eggs  and 
a  gill  of  molasses;  it  must  be  put  on  at  sun  rise,  to  eat 
at  three  o’clock;  the  great  art  in  this  pudding  is  tying 
the  bag  properly,  as  the  meal  swells  very  much. 


PUMPKIN  PUDDING. 

Stew  a  fine  sweet  pumpkin  till  soft  and  dry;  rub 
it  through  a  sieve,  mix  with  the  pulp  six  eggs  quite 
light,  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  butter,  half  a  pint  of 
new  milk,  some  pounded  ginger  and  nutmeg,  a  wine 
glass  of  brandy,  and  sugar  to  your  taste.  Should  it 
be  too  liquid,  stew  it  a  little  drier,  put  a  paste  round 
the  edges,  and  in  the  bottom  of  a  shallow  dish  or 
plate — pour  in  the  mixture,  cut  some  thin  bits  of 
paste,  twist  them,  and  lay  them  across  the  top,  and 
bake  it  nicely. 


FAYETTE  PUDDING. 

Slice  a  loaf  of  bread  tolerably  thick — lay  the  slices 
in  the  bottom  of  a  dish,  cutting  them  so  as  to  cover  it 
completely;  sprinkle  some  sugar  and  nutmeg,  with  a 
little  butter,  on  each  layer;  when  all  are  in,  pour  on  a 
quart  of  good  boiled  custard  sweetened- -serve  it  up 
cold. 


MACCARONI  PUDDING. 

Simmer  half  a  pound  of  maccaroni  in  a  plenty  of 
water,  with  a  table-spoonful  of  salt,  till  tender,  but 


128  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

not  broke — strain  it,  beat  five  yelks,  two  whites  of 
eggs,  half  a  pint  of  cream — mince  -white  meat  and 
boiled  ham  very  fine,  add  three  spoonsful  of  grated 
cheese,  pepper  and  salt;  mix  these  with  the  maccaroni, 
butter  the  mould,  put  it  in,  and  steam  it  in  a  pan  cf 
boiling  water  for  an  hour- — serve  with  rich  gravy. 

POTATO  PASTE. 

Boil  mealy  potatos  quite  soft,  first  taking  off  the 
skins;  rub  them  while  hot  through  a  sieve,  put  them 
in  a  stew  pan  over  the  fire,  with  as  much  water  as 
will  make  it  the  consistence  of  thick  mush;  sift  one 
quart  of  flour,  and  make  it  into  a  paste;  with  this 
mush,  knead  it  till  light,  roll  it  out  thin,  make  the 
dumplins  small — fill  them  with  apples,  or  any  other 
fruit — tie  them  up  in  a  thick  cloth,  and  boil  them 
nicely — eat  them  with  butter,  sugar,  and  nutmeg. 

COMPOTE  OF  APPLES. 

Pare  and  core  the  apples,  and  if  you  prefer  it,  cut 
them  in  four,  wash  them  clean,  and  put  them  in  a 
pan  with  water  and  sugar  enough  to  cover  them;  add 
cinnamon  and  lemon  peel,  which  has  been  previously 
soaked,  scraped  on  the  inside,  and  cut  in  strings;  boil 
them  gently  until  the  apples  are  done,  take  them  out 
in  a  deep  dish,  boil  the  syrup  to  a  proper  consistency, 
and  pour  it  on  them:  it  will  take  a  pound  of  sugar 
for  a  large  dish. 


CHARLOTTE. 

Stew  any  kind  of  fruit,  and  season  it  in  any  way 
you  like  best;  soak  some  slices  of  bread  in  butter;  put 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


129 


them  while  hot,  in  the  bottom  and  round  the  sides  of 
a  dish,  which  has  been  rubbed  with  butter — put  in 
your  fruit,  and  lay  slices  of  bread  prepared  in  the 
same  manner  on  the  top:  bake  it  a  few  minutes,  turn 
‘t  carefully  into  another  dish,  sprinkle  on  some  pow¬ 
dered  sugar,  and  glaze  it  with  a  salamander. 


APPLE  FRITTERS. 

Pare  some  apples,  and  cut  them  in  thin  slices — j  at 
them  in  a  bowl,  with  a  glass  of  brandy,  some  white 
wine,  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  pounded  sugar,  a  little 
cinnamon  finely  powdered,  and  the  rind  of  a  lemon 
grated;  let  them  stand  some  time,  turning  them  over 
frequently;  beat  two  eggs  very  light,  add  one  quarter 
of  a  pound  of  flour,  a  table-spoonful  of  melted  butter, 
and  as  much  cold  water  as  will  make  a  thin  batter; 
drip  the  apples  on  a  sieve,  mix  them  with  the  battei, 
take  one  slice  with  a  spoonful  of  batter  to  each  fritter, 
fry  them  quickly  of  a  light  brown,  drain  them  well, 
put  them  in  a  dish,  sprinkling  sugar  over  each,  and 
glaze  them  nicely. 


BELL  FRITTERS. 

Put  a  piece  of  butter  the  size  of  an  egg  into  a  pint 
of  water;  let  it  boil  a  few  minutes — thicken  it  very 
smoothly  with  a  pint  of  flour;  let  it  remain  a  short 
time  on  the  fire,  stir  it  all  the  time  that  it  may  not 
stick  to  the  pan,  pour  it  in  a  wooden  bov/1,  add  five 
or  six  eggs,  breaking  one  and  beating  it  in — then 
another,  and  so  on  till  they  are  all  in,  and  the  dough 
quite  light — put  'a  pint  of  lard  in  a  pan,  let  it  boil. 

9 


130 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


make  the  fritters  small,  and  fry  them  of  a  fine  amber 
colour. 


BREAD  FRITTERS. 

Cut  your  bread  of  a  convenient  size,  pour  on  i* 
some  white  wine,  and  let  it  stand  a  few  minutes — 
drain  it  on  a  sieve,  beat  four  eggs  very  light,  add  foul 
spoonsful  of  wine,  beat  all  well  together — have  youi 
lard  boiling,  dip  the  bread  in  the  egg,  and  fry  it  a 
light  brown;  sprinkle  sugar  on  each,  and  glaze  them. 


SPANISH  FRITTERS. 

Make  up  a  quart  of  flour,  with  one  egg  well  beaten, 
a  large  spoonful  of  yeast,  and  as  much  milk  as  will 
make  it  a  little  softer  than  muffin  dough;  mix  it  early 
in  the  morning;  when  well  risen,  work  in  two  spoons¬ 
ful  of  melted  butter,  make  it  in  balls  the  size  of  a 
walnut,  and  fry  them  -a  light  brown  in  boiling  lkrd  - 
eat  them  with  wine  and  sugar,  or  molasses. 


TO  MAKE  MUSH. 

Put  a  lump  of  butter  the  size  of  an  egg  into  a 
quart  of  water,  make  it  sufficiently  thick  with  corn 
meal  and  a  little  salt;  it  must  be  mixed  perfectly 
smooth — stir  it  constantly  till  done  enough. 


CAKES. 


JUMBALS. 

Put  one  pound  of  nice  sugar  into  two  pounds  of 
flour,  add  pounded  spice  of  anv  kind,  and  pass  them 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  131 

through  a  sieve;  beat  four  eggs,  pour  them  on  with 
three  quarters  of  a  pound  of  melted  butter,  knead  all 
well  together,  and  bake  them. 


MACAROONE. 

Blanch  a  pound  of  sweet  almonds,  pound  them  in 
a  mortar  with  rose  water;  whip  the  whites  of  seven 
eggs  to  a  strong  froth,  put  in  one  pound  of  powdered 
sugar,  beat  it  some  time,  then  put  in  the  almonds — 
mix  them  well,  and  drop  them  on  sheets  of  paper 
buttered;  sift  sugar  over,  and  bake  them  quickly.  Be 
careful  not  to  let  them  get  discoloured. 


TO  MAKE  DROP  BISCUIT. 

Beat  eight  eggs  very  light,  add  to  them  twelve 
ounces  of  flour,  and  one  pound  of  sugar;  when  per¬ 
fectly  light,  drop  them  on  ti-n  sheets,  and  bake  them 
in  a  quick  oven. 


TAVERN  BISCUIT. 

To  one  pound  of  flour,  add  half  a  pound  of  sugar, 
half  a  pound  of  butter,  some  mace  and  nutmeg  pow¬ 
dered,  and  a  glass  of  brandy  or  wine;  wet  it  with 
milk,  and  when  well  kneaded,  roll  it  thin,  cqt  it  in 
shapes,  and  bake  it  quickly. 


RUSK. 

Rub  half  a  pound  of  sugar  into  three  pounds  of 
flour — sift  it,  pour  on  half  a  pint  of  good  yeast,  beat 
six  eggs,  add  half  a  pint  of  milk — mix  all  together, 
and  knead  it  well:  if  not  soft  enough,  add  more  milk — 


132  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

it  should  be  softer  than  bread;  make  it  at  night — ill 
the  morning,  if  well  risen,  work  in  six  ounces  of  but¬ 
ter,  and  bake  it  in  small  rolls;  when  cold,  slice  it, 
lay  it  on  tin  sheets,  and  dry  it  in  the  oven. 


GINGER  BREAD. 

Three  quarts  of  flour,  three  quarters  of  a  pound 
of  brown  sugar,  a  large  spoonful  of  pounded  ginger, 
one  tea-spoonful  of  powdered  cloves — sift  it,  melt  half 
a  pound  of  butter  in  a  quart  of  rich  molasses,  wet  the 
flour  with  it,  knead  it  well,  and  bake  it  in  a  slack  oven. 


PLEBEIAN  GINGER  BREAD. 

Mix  three  large  spoonsful  of  pounded  ginger,  with 
three  quarts  of  flour — sift  it,  dissolve  three  tea-spoons¬ 
ful  of  pearl-ash  in  a  cup  of  water,  and  pour  it  on  the 
flour;  melt  half  a  pound  of  butter  in  a  quart  of  mo¬ 
lasses,  mix  it  with  the  flour,  knead  it  well,  cut  it  in 
shapes,  and  bake  it. 


SUGAR  GINGER  BREAD. 

Take  two  pounds  of  the  nicest  brown  sugar,  dry 
and  pound  it,  put  it  into  three  quarts  of  flour,  add  a 
large  cup  full  of  powdered  ginger,  and  sift  the  mixture; 
wash  the  salt  out  of  a  pound  of  butter,  and  cream  it; 
have  twelve  eggs  well  beaten;  work  into  the  butter 
first,  the  mixture,  then  the  froth  from  the  eggs,  until 
all  are  in,  and  it  is  quite  light;  add  a  glass  of  brandy 
butter  snallow  moulds,  pour  it  in,  and  bake  in  a  quick 


oven 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE 


133 


DOUGH  NUTS— A  YANKEE  CAKE 
Dry  half  a  pound  of  good  brown  sugar,  pojnd  it 
«nd  mix  it  with  two  pounds  of  flour,  and  sift  it;  add 
two  spoonsful  of  yeast,  and  as  much  new  milk  as  will 
make  it  like  bread:  when  well  risen,  knead  in  half  a 
pound  of  butter,  make  it  in  cakes  the  size  of  a  half 
dollar,  and  fry  them  a  light  brown  in  boiling  lard. 


RISEN  CAKE. 

Take  three  pounds  of  flour,  one  and  a  half  of 
pounded  sugar,  a  tea-spoonful  of  cloves,  one  of  mace, 
and  one  of  ginger,  all  finely  powdered — pass  the 
whole  through  a  sieve,  put  to  it  four  spoonsful  of  good 
yeast,  and  twelve  eggs — mix  it  up  well,  and  if  not 
sufficiently  soft,  add  a  little  milk:  make  it  up  at  night, 
and  set  it  to  rise — when  well  risen,  knead  into  it  a 
pound  of  butter,  and  two  gills  of  brandy;  have  ready 
two  pounds  of  raisins  stoned,  mix  all  well  together, 
pour  it  into  a  mould  of  proper  size,  and  bake  it  in  an 
oven  heated  as  for  bread;  let  it  stand  till  thoroughly 
done,  and  do  not  take  it  from  the  mould  until  quite 
<*old. 


POUND  CAKE. 

Wash  the  salt  from  a  pound  of  butter,  and  rub  it 
till  it  is  soft  as  cream — have  ready  a  pound  of  flour 
sifted,  one  of  powdered  sugar,  and  twelve  eggs  well 
beaten;  put  alternately  into  the  butter,  sugar,  flour, 
and  the  froth  from  the  eggs— continuing  to  beat  them 
together  till  all  the  ingredients  are  in,  and  the  cake 


134 


1HE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


quite  light:  add  some  grated  lemon  peel,  a  nutmeg, 
and  a  gill  of  brandy;  butter  the  pans,  and  bake  them. 
This  cake  makes  an  excellent  pudding,  if  baked  in  a 
large  mould,  and  eaten  with  sugar  and  wine.  It  is 
also  excellent  when  boiled,  and  served  up  with  melted 
butter,  sugar  and  wine. 


SAVOY  OR  SPUNGE  CAKE. 

Take  twelve  fresh  eggs,  put  them  in  the  scale,  and 
balance  them  with  sugar:  take  out  half,  and  balance 
the  other  half  with  flour;  separate  the  whites  from  the 
yelks,  whip  them  up  very  light,  then  mix  them,  and 
sift  in,  first  sugar,  then  flour,  till  both  are  exhausted; 
add  some  grated  lemon  peel;  bake  them  in  paper 
cases,  or  little  tin  moulds.  This  also  makes  an 
excellent  pudding,  with  butter,  sugar,  and  wine,  for 
sauce. 


A  RICH  FRUIT  CAKE. 

Have  the  following  articles  prepared,  before  you 
begin  the  cake:  four  pounds  of  flour  dried  and  sifted, 
four  pounds  of  butter  washed  to  free  it  from  salt,  two 
pounds  of  loaf  sugar  pounded,  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of 
mace,  the  same  of  nutmegs  powdered;  wash  four 
pounds  of  currants  clean,  pick  and  dry  them;  blanch 
one  pound  of  sweet  almonds,  and  cut  them  in  very 
thin  slices;  stone  two  pounds  of  raisins,  cut  them  in 
two,  and  strew  a  little  flour  over  to  prevent  their 
sticking  together,  and  two  pounds  of  citron  sliced 
thin;  break  thirty  eggs,  separating  the  yelks  and 
whites;  work  the  butter  to  a  cream  with  y  our  hand — 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  135 

put  in  alternately,  flour,  sugar,  and  the  froth  from  both 
whites  and  yelks,  which  must  be  beaten  separately, 
and  only  the  froth  put  in.  When  all  are  mixed  and 
the  cake  looks  very  light,  add  the  spice,  with  hall  a 
pint  of  brandy,  the  currants  and  almonds;  butter  the 
mould  well,  pour  in  part  of  the  cake,  strew  over  it 
some  raisins  ana  citron — do  this  until  all  is  in:  set  it 
in  a  well  heated  oven;  when  it  has  risen,  and  the  top 
is  coloured,  cover  it  with  paper;  it  will  require  three 
hours  baking — it  must  be  iced. 


NAPLES  BISCIJTT 

Beat  twelve  eggs  light,  add  to  them  one  pound  of 
flour,  and  one  of  powdered  sugar;  continue  to  boat  all 
together  till  perfectly  light;  bake  it  in  long  pans,  four 
inches  wide,  with  divisions;  so  that  each  cake,  when 
done,  will  be  four  inches  long,  and  one  and  a  half 
iviue 


SHREWSBURY  CAKES. 

Mix  a  pound  of  sugar,  with  two  pounds  of  flour, 
and  a  large  spoonful  of  pounded  coriander  seeds;  sift 
them,  add  three  quarters  of  a  pound  of  melted  butter, 
6ix  eggs,  and  a  gill  of  brandy;  knead  it  well,  roll  it 
thin,  cut  it  in  shapes,  and  bake  without  discolouring  it. 


LITTLE  PLUM  CAKES. 

Prepare  them  as  directed  for  pound  cake,  add  rai 
sms  and  currants,  bake  them  in  small  tin  shapes,  ami 
ice  them. 


136 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE 


SODA  CAKES 

Dissolve  half  a  pound  of  sugar  in  a  pint  of  mil^ 
add  a  tea-spoonful  of  soda;  pour  it  on  two  pounds  of 
flour — melt  half  a  pound  of  butter,  knead  all  together 
till  light,  put  it  in  shallow  moulds,  and  bake  it  quickly 
in  a  brisk  oven. 


TO  MAKE  BREAD. 

When  you  find  the  barrel  of  flour  a  good  one, 
empty  it  into  a  chest  or  box,  made  for  the  purpose, 
with  a  lid  that  will  shut  close:  it  keeps  much  better 
in  this  manner  than  when  packed  in  a  barrel,  and  even 
improves  by  lying  lightly;  sift  the  quantity  you  intend 
to  make  up — put  into  a  bowl  two  gills  and  a  half  of 
water  for  each  quart,  with  a  tea-spoon  heaped  up  with 
salt,  and  a  large  spoonful  of  yeast  for  each  quart;  stir 
this  mixture  well,  put  into  another  bowl  one  handful 
of  flour  from  every  quart;  pour  a  little  of  the  mixture 
on  to  wet  it,  then  more,  until  you  get  it  all  in,  taking 
great  care  that  it  be  smooth,  and  quite  free  from 
lumps;  beat  it  some  minutes,  take  one-third  of  the 
flour  out  of  the  kettle,  pour  on  the  batter,  and  sprin¬ 
kle  over  it  the  dry  flour;  stop  the  kettle,  and  set  it 
where  it  can  have  a  moderate  degree  of  warmth: 
when  it  has  risen  well,  turn  it  into  a  bowl,  mix  in  the 
dry  flour,  and  knead  it  on  a  board  till  it  looks  quite 
light;  return  it  to  the  kettle,  and  place  it  where  it  can 
have  proper  heat:  in  the  morning,  take  the  dry  crust 
carefully  from  the  top,  put  the  dough  on  a  board, 
knead  it  well,  make  it  into  rolls,  set  them  on  tin  sheets, 
put  a  towel  over,  and  let  them  stand  near  the  firp  till 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  137 

the  oven  is  ready.  In  winter,  make  the  bread  up  at 
three  o’clock,  and  it  will  be  ready  to  work  before  bed 
time.  In  summer,  make  it  up  at  five  o’clock.  A 
quart  of  flour  should  weigh  just  one  pound  and 
a  quarter.  The  bread  must  be  rasped  when  baked. 

TO  MAKE  NICE  BISCUIT. 

Rub  a  large  spoonful  of  butter  into  a  quart  of  risen 
dough,  knead  it  well,  and  make  it  into  biscuit,  either 
thick  or  thin:  bake  them  quickly. 

RICE  BREAD. 

Boil  six  ounces  of  rice  in  a  quart  of  water,  till  it 
is  dry  and  soft — put  it  into  two  pounds  of  flour,  mix 
it  in  well;  add  two  tea-spoonsful  of  salt,  two  large 
spoonsful  of  yeast,  and  as  much  water  as  will  make 
it  the  consistence  of  bread:  when  well  risen,  bake  it 
in  moulds. 


MIXED  BREAD. 

Put  a  tea-spoonful  of  salt,  and  a  large  one  of  yeast, 
into  a  quart  of  flour;  make  it  sufficiently  soft,  Avith 
corn  meal  gruel;  when  well  risen,  bake  it  in  a  mould. 
It  is  an  excellent  bread  for  breakfast.  Indifferent 
flour  will  rise  much  better,  when  made  with  grueh 
than  with  fair  waler. 


PATENT  YEAST. 

Put  half  a  pound  of  fresh  hops  into  a  gallon  of 
Avater,  and  boil  it  away  to  two  quarts;  then  strain  it, 
and  make  it  a  thin  batter  Avith  flour;  add  half  a  pint 
of  good  yeast,  and  when  well  fermented,  pour  it  in  a 


138  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

bowl,  and  work  in  as  much  corn  meal  as  will  make  it 
the  consistency  of  biscuit  dough;  set  it  to  rise,  and 
wbcn  quite  light,  make  it  into  little  cakes,  which 
must  be  dried  in  the  shade,  turning  them  very  fre¬ 
quently;  keep  them  securely  from  damp  and  dust 
Persons  who  live  in  town,  and  can  procure  brewer’* 
yeast,  will  save  trouble  by  using  it:  take  one  quart  of 
it,  add  a  quart  of  water,  and  proceed  as  before  directed 

TO  PREPARE  THE  CAKES. 

Take  one  or  more  cakes,  according  to  the  flour  you 
are  to  make;  pour  on  a  little  warm  water;  when  it  is 
dissolved,  stir  it  well,  thicken  with  a  little  flour,  and 
set  it  near  the  fire,  to  rise  before  it  is  used.  The  best 
thing  to  keep  yeast  in,  is  a  small  mug  or  pitcher,  with 
a  dose  stopper,  under  which  must  be  placed  a  double 
fold  of  linen,  to  make  it  still  closer.  This  is  far 
preferable  to  a  bottle,  and  more  easily  cleaned. 

ANOTHER  METHOD  FOR  MAKING  YEAST 

Peel  one  large  Irish  potato,  boil  it  till  soft,  rub  it 
through  a  sieve;  add  an  equal  quantity  of  flour,  make 
it  sufficiently  liquid  with  hop  tea;  and  when  a  little 
warmer  than  new  milk,  add  a  gill  of  good  yeast;  stir 
it  well,  and  keep  it  closely  covered  in  a  small  pitcher. 

NICE  BUNS. 

Put  four  ounces  of  sugar  with  three  quarters  of  a 
pound  of  flour;  make  it  up  with  two  spoonsful  o^ 
yeast,  and  half  a  pint  of  milk;  when  well  risen,  work 
into  it  four  ounces  of  butter,  make  it  into  small  buns, 
and  bake  them  in  a  quick  oven — do  not  burn  them. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE 


139 


MUFFINS. 

Sift  a  quart  of  flour,  put  to  it  a  little  salt,  and  a 
large  spoonful  of  yeast — beat  the  white  of  a  fresh  egg 
to  a  strong  froth,  add  it,  and  make  the  flour  up  with 
cold  water,  as  soft  as  you  can  to  allow  it  to  be  han¬ 
dled;  set  it  in  a  moderately  warm  place.  Next  morn¬ 
ing,  beat  it  well  with  a  spoon,  put  it  on  the  griddle  in 
a  round  form,  and  bake  it  nicely,  turning  them  fre¬ 
quently  till  done. 


FRENCH  ROLLS. 

Sift  a  quart  of  flour,  add  a  little  salt,  a  spoonful  of 
yeast,  two  eggs  well  beaten,  and  half  a  pint  of  milk — 
knead  it,  and  set  it  to  rise:  next  morning,  work  in  an 
ounce  of  butter,  make  the  dough  into  small  rolls,  and 
bake  them.  The  top  crust  should  not  be  hard. 

CRUMPETS. 

Take  a  quart  of  dough  from  your  bread  at  a  very 
early  hour  in  the  morning;  break  three  fresh  eggs, 
separating  the  yelks  from  the  whites — whip  them 
both  to  a  froth,  mix  them  with  the  dough,  and  add 
gradually  milk-warm  water,  till  you  make  a  batter  the 
thickness  of  buckwheat  cakes:  beat  it  well,  and  set 
it  to  rise  till  near  breakfast  time;  have  the  griddle 
ready,  pour  on  the  batter  to  look  quite  round:  they  do 
not  require  turning. 

APOQUINIMINC  CAKES. 

Put  a  little  salt,  one  egg  beaten,  and  four  ounces 
of  butter  in  a  quart  of  flour— make  it  into  a  paste 


140  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

with  new  milk,  beat  it  for  half  an  hour  with  a  pestle, 
roll  the  paste  thin,  and  cut  it  into  round  cakes;  bake 
them  on  a  gridiron,  and  be  careful  not  to  burn  them. 


BATTER  CAKES. 

Boil  two  cups  of  small  homony  very  soft;  add  an 
equal  quantity  of  corn  meal  with  a  little  salt,  and  a 
large  spoonful  of  butter;  make  it  in  a  thin  batter  with 
three  eggs,  and  a  sufficient  quantity  of  milk — beat  all 
together  some  time,  and  bake  them  on  a  griddle,  or 
in  woffle  irons.  When  eggs  cannot  be  procured, 
yeast  makes  a  good  substitute;  put  a  spoonful  in  the 
batter,  and  let  it  stand  an  hour  to  rise. 


BATTER  BREAD. 

Take  six  spoonsful  of  flour  and  three  of  corn  meal, 
with  a  little  salt — sift  them,  and  make  a  thin  batter 
with  four  eggs,  and  a  sufficient  quantity  of  rich  milk; 
bake  it  in  little  tin  moulds  in  a  quick  oven. 


CREAM  CAKES. 

Melt  as  much  butter  in  a  pint  of  milk,  as  will  maxe 
it  rich  as  cream — make  the  flour  into  a  paste  with  this, 
knead  it  well,  roll  it  out  frequently,  cut  it  in  squares, 
and  bake  on  a  griddle. 


SOUFLE  BISCUITS. 

Rub  four  ounces  of  butter  into  a  quart  of  flour, 
make  it  into  paste  with  milk,  knead  it  well,  roll  it  as 
thin  as  paper,  and  bake  it  to  look  white 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


141 


CORN  MEAL  BREAD. 

Run  a  piece  of  butter  the  size  of  an  egg,  irto  a  pint 
of  corn  meal — make  it  a  batter  with  two  eggs,  and 
some  new  milk — add  a  spoonful  of  yeast,  set  it  by 
the  fire  an  hour  to  rise,  butter  little  pans,  ai  bake  it. 

SWEET  POTATO  BUNS. 

Boil  and  mash  a  potato,  rub  into  it  as  much  flour 
as  will  make  it  like  bread — add  spice  and  sugar  to 
your  taste,  with  a  spoonful  of  yeast;  when  it  has  risen 
well,  work  in  a  piece  of  butter,  bake  it  in  small  rolls, 
to  be  eaten  hot  with  butter,  cither  for  breakfast  or  tea. 


RICE  WOFFLES. 

Boil  two  gills  of  rice  quite  soft,  mix  with  it  three 
gills  of  flour,  a  little  salt,  two  ounces  melted  butter, 
two  eggs  beaten  well,  and  as  much  milk  as  will  make 
it  a  thick  batter — beat  it  till  very  light,  and  bake  it  in 
woffle  irons. 


VELVET  CAKES. 

Make  a  batter  of  one  quart  of  flour,  three  eggs,  a 
quart  of  milk,  and  a  gill  of  yeast;  when  well  risen, 
stir  in  a  large  spoonful  of  melted  butter,  and  bake 
them  in  muffin  hoops. 

CHOCOLATE  CAKES. 

Put  half  a  pound  of  nice  brown  sugar  into  a  quart 
of  flour,  sift  it,  and  make  it  into  a  paste,  with  four 
ounces  of  butter  melted  in  as  much  milk  as  will  wet 
it;  knead  it  till  light,  roll  it  tolerably  thin,  cut  it  in 


142 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


strips  an  inch  wide,  and  just  long  enough  to  lay  in  a 
plate;  bake  them  on  a  griddle,  put  them  in  the  plate 
in  rows  to  checker  each  other,  and  serve  them  to  eat 
with  chocolate. 


WAFERS. 

Beat  six  eggs,  add  a  pint  of  flour,  two  ounces  of 
melted  butter,  with  as  much  milk  as  will  make  a  thin 
better — put  in  pounded  loaf  sugar  to  your  taste, 
pour  it  in  the  wafer  irons,  bake  them  quickly  without 
browning,  and  roll  them  while  hot. 


BUCKWHEAT  CAKES. 

Put  a  large  spoonful  of  yeast  and  a  little  salt,  into 
a  quart  of  buckwheat  meal;  make  it  into  a  batter  with 
cold  water;  let  it  rise  well,  and  bake  it  on  a  griddle — 
it  turns  sour  very  quickly,  if  it  be  allowed  to  stand 
anv  time  after  it  has  risen. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  ICE  CREAMS. 

It  is  the  practice  with  some  indolent  cooks,  to  set 
the  freezer  containing  the  cream,  in  a  tub  with  ice  and 
salt,  and  put  it  in  the  ice  house;  it  will  certainly 
freeze  there;  but  not  until  the  watery  particles  have 
subsided,  and  by  the  separation  destroyed  the  cream. 
A  freezer  should  be  twelve  or  fourteen  inches  deep, 
and  eight  or  ten  wide.  This  facilitates  the  operation 
very  much,  by  giving  a  larger  surface  for  the  ice  to 
form,  which  it  always  does  on  the  sides  of  the  vessel; 
a  silver  spoon  with  a  long  handle  should  be  provided 
for  scraping  the  ice  from  the  sides  as  soon  as  fbrnusd; 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


143 


and  when  the  whole  is  congealed,  pack  it  m  moulds 
(which  must  be  placed  with  care,  lest  they  should  not 
be  upright,)  in  ice  and  salt,  till  sufficiently  hard  to 
retain  the  shape: — they  should  not  be  turned  out  till 
the  moment  they  are  to  be  served.  The  freezing  tub 
must  be  wide  enough  to  leave  a  margin  of  four  or  live 
inches  all  around  the  freezer,  when  placed  in  the  mid¬ 
dle — which  must  be  filled  up  with  small  lumps  of  ice 
mixed  with  salt — a  larger  tub  would  waste  the  ice. 
The  freezer  must  be  kept  constantly  in  motion  during 
the  process,  and  ought  to  be  made  of  pewter,  which 
is  less  liable  than  tin  to  be  worn  in  holes,  and  spoil 
the  cream  by  admitting  the  salt  water. 


ICE  CREAMS. 

When  ice  creams  are  not  put  into  shapes,  they 
should  always  be  served  in  glasses  with  handles. 


VANILLA  CREAM. 

Boil  a  Vanilla  bean  in  a  quart  of  rich  milk,  until 
it  has  imparted  the  flavour  sufficiently — then  take  it 
out,  and  mix  with  the  milk,  eight  eggs,  yelks  and 
whites  beaten  well;  let  it  boil  a  little  longer;  make  it 
very  sweet,  for  much  of  the  sugar  is  lost  in  the  opera¬ 
tion  of  freezing. 


RASPBERRY  CREAM. 

Make  a  quart  of  rich  boiled  custard — when  cold, 
pour  it  on  a  quart  of  ripe  red  raspberries;  mash  them 
in  it,  pass  it  through  a  sieve,  sweeten,  and  freeze  it 


144 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


STRAWBERRY  CREAM 
Is  made  in  the  same  manner — the  strawberries  must 
be  very  ripe,  and  the  stems  picked  out.  If  rich 
cream  can  be  procured,  it  will  be  infinitely  better— 
the  custard  is  intended  as  a  substitute,  when  cream 
cannot  be  had. 


COCOA  NUT  CREAM. 

Take  the  nut  from  its  shell,  pare  it,  and  grate  it 
very  fine;  mix  it  with  a  quart  of  crear”,  sweeten,  and 
freeze  it.  If  the  nut  be  a  small  o..o,  it  will  require 
one  and  a  half  to  flavour  a  quart  of  cream. 


CHOCOLATE  CREAM. 

Scrape  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  chocolate  very  fine, 
put  it  in  a  quart  of  milk,  boil  it  till  the  chocolate  is 
dissolved,  stirring  it  continually — thicken  with  six 
eggs.  A  Vanilla  bean  boiled  with  the  milk,  will  im¬ 
prove  the  flavour  greatly. 

OYSTER  CREAM. 

Make  a  rich  soup,  (see  directions  for  oyster  soup,) 
strain  it  from  the  oysters,  and  freeze  it. 

ICED  JELLY. 

Make  calf’s  foot  jelly  not  very  stiff,  freeze  it,  and 
serve  it  in  glasses. 

PEACH  CREAM. 

Get  fine  soft  peaches  perfectly  ripe,  peel  them, 
take  out  the  stones,  and  put  them  in  a  China  bowl; 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


145 


sprinkle  some  sugar  on,  and  chop  them  very  email 
wjthasilve-'  spoon — if  the  peaches  be  sufficiently  ripe, 
they  will  become  a  smooth  pulp;  add  as  much  cream 
or  rich  milk  as  you  havs  reaches;  put  more  sugar, 
and  freeze  it 


COFFEE  CREAM. 

Toast  two  gills  of  raw  coffee  till  it  is  a  light  brown, 
and  not  a  grain  burnt;  put  it  hot  from  the  toaster 
without  grinding  it,  into  a  quart  of  rich,  and  perfectly 
sweet  milk;  boil  it,  and  add  the  yelks  of  eight  eggs; 
when  done,  strain  it  through  a  sieve,  and  sweeten  it; 
if  properly  done,  it  will  not  be  discoloured.  The  cof¬ 
fee  may  be  dried,  and  will  answer  for  making  in  the 
usual  way  to  drink,  allowing  more  for  the  quantity  of 
water,  than  if  it  had  not  gone  through  this  process. 

QUINCE  CREAM. 

Wash  ripe  quinces  and  boil  them  whole  till  quite 
tender — let  them  stand  to  drain  and  cool — then  rub 
them  through  a  hair  sieve;  mix  with  the  pulp  as  much 
cochineal  finely  powdered,  as  will  make  it  a  pretty 
colour;  then  add  an  equal  quantity  of  cream,  and, 
sweeten  it.  Pears  or  apples  may  be  used,  prepared 
in  the  same  manner. 


CITRON  CREAM. 

Cut  the  finest  citron  melons  when  perfectly  ripe — 
take  out  the  seeds,  and  slice  the  nicest  part  into  a 
China  bowl  in  small  pieces,  that  will  lie  conveniently; 
cover  them  with  pow'dered  sugar,  and  let  them  stand 
•evcral  hours — then  drain  off  the  syrup  they  hr*re 
10 


146 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


made,  and  add  as  much  cream  as  it  will  give  a  strong 
flavour  to,  and  freeze  it.  Pine  apples  may  be  used  ;.i 
the  same  way. 


ALMOND  CREAM. 

Pour  hot  water  on  the  almonds,  and  let  them  stand 
till  the  skins  will  slip  off,  then  pound  them  fine,  and 
mix  them  with  cream:  a  pound  of  almonds  in  the 
shells,  will  be  sufficient  for  a  quart  of  cream — sweeten 
and  freeze  it.  The  kernels  of  the  common  black 
walnut,  prepared  in  the  same  way,  make  an  excel¬ 
lent  cream. 


LEMON  CREAM. 

Pare  the  ye|Jow  rind  very  thin  from  four  lemons — ■ 
put  them  in  a  quart  of  fresh  cream,  and  boil  it; 
squeeze  and  strain  the  juice  of  one  lemon,  saturate  it 
completely  with  powdered  sugar;  and  when  the  cream 
is  quite  cold,  stir  it  in — take  eare  that  it  does  not 
curdle — if  not' sufficiently  sweet,  add  more  sugar. 


LEMONADE  ICED. 

Make  a  quart  of  rich  lemonade,  whip  the  whites  of 
six  fresh  eggs  to  a  strong  froth — mix  them  well  with 
the  lemonade,  and  freeze  it.  The  juice  of  morello  cher 
ries,  or  of  currants  mixed  with  water  and  sugar,  and 
prepared  in  the  same  way,  make  very  delicate  ices. 


TO  MAKE  CUSTARD. 

Make  a  quart  of  milk  quite  hot,  that  it  may  not 
whey  when  baked;  let  it  stand  to  get  cold,  and  then 
mix  six  eggs  with  it;  sweeten  it  with  loaf  sugar,  and 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


141 


fill  the  custard  cups — put  on  the  covers,  and  set  them 
in  a  Dutch  oven  with  water,  but  not  enough  to  risk 
its  boiling  into  the  cups;  do  not  put  on  the  top  of  the 
oven.  When  the  water  has  boiled  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes,  take  out  a  cup,  and  if  the  custard  be  the  con¬ 
sistence  of  jelly,  it  is  sufficiently  done;  serve  them 
in  the  cups  with  the  covers  on,  and  a  tea-spoon  on 
the  dish  between  each  cup — grate  nutmeg  on  the  tops 
when  cold. 


TO  MAKE  A  TRIFLE. 

Put  slices  of  Savoy  cake  or  Naples  biscuit  at  the 
bottom  of  a  deep  dish;  wet  it  with  white  wine,  and  fill 
the  dish  nearly  to  the  top  with  rich  boiled  custard; 
season  half  a  pint  of  cream  with  white  wine  and  sugar; 
whip  it  to  a  froth — as  it  rises,  take  it  lightly  off,  and 
lay  it  on  the  custard;  pile  it  up  high  and  tastily — de¬ 
corate  it  with  preserves  of  any  kind,  cut  so  thin  as  nrt 
to  bear  the  froth  down  by  its  weight. 


RICE  BLANC  MANGE. 

Boil  a  tea-cup  full  of  rice  in  a  very  small  quantity 
of  water,  till  it  is  near  bursting — then  add  half  a  pins, 
of  milk,  boil  it  to  a  mush,  stirring  all  the  time;  season 
it  with  sugar,  wine,  and  nutmeg;  dip  tho  mould  in 
water,  and  fill  it;  when  cold,  turn  it  in  a  dish,  and 
surround  it  with  boiled  custard  seasoned,  o<  syllabub — 
garnish  it  with  marmalade. 


FLOATING  ISLAND 

Have  the  bowl  nearly  full  of  sylKm/b,  made  with 
milk,  white  wine,  and  sugar;  beat  tht?  whites  of  sis 


148 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


new  laid  eggs  to  a  strong  froth — then  mix  with  it  rasp¬ 
berry  or  strawberry  marmalade  enough  to  flavour  and 
colour  it;  lay  the  froth  lightly  on  the  syllabub,  first 
putting  in  some  slices  of  cake;  raise  it  in  little  mounds, 
and  garnish  with  something  light. 


SYLLABUB. 

Season  the  milk  with  sugar  and  white  wine,  but  not 
enough  to  curdle  it;  fill  the  glasses  nearly  full,  and 
crown  them  with  whipt  cream  seasoned. 


COLD  CREAMS. 


LEMON  CREAM. 

Pare  the  rind  very  thin  from  four  fresh  lemons, 
squeeze  the  juice,  and  strain  it — put  them  both  into 
a  quart  of  water,  sweeten  it  to  your  taste,  add  the 
whites  of  six  eggs,  beat  to  a  froth;  set  it  over  the  fire, 
and  keep  stirring  until  it  thickens,  but  do  not  let  it 
boil — then  pour  it  in  a  bowl;  when  cold,  strain  it 
through  a  sieve,  put  it  on  the  fire,  and  add  the  yelks 
of  the  eggs — stir  it  till  quite  thick,  and  serve  it  a 
glasses. 


ORANGE  CREAM 

Is  made  in  the  same  manner,  but  requires  more  juice 
to  give  a  flavour. 

RASPBERRY  CREAM. 

Stir  as  much  raspberry  marmalade  into  a  quart  of 
cream,  as  will  be  sufficient  to  give  a  rich  flavour  of 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  140 

the  fruit— strain  it,  and  fill  your  glasses,  leaving  out  a 
part  to  whip  into  froth  for  the  top. 


TEA  CREAM. 

Put  one  ounce  of  the  best  tea  in  a  pitcher,  pour  on 
it  a  table  spoonful  of  water,  and  let  it  stand  an  hour  to 
soften  the  leaves;  then  put  to  it  a  quart  of  boiling 
cream,  cover  it  close,  and  in  half  an  hour  strain  it;  add 
four  tea-spoonsful  of  a  strong  infusion  of  rennet  in 
water,  stir  it,  and  set  it  on  some  hot  ashes,  and  cover 
it;  when  you  find  by  cooling  a  little  of  it,  that  it  will 
jelly,  pour  it  into  glasses,  and  garnish  with  thin  bits  of 
preserved  fruit. 


SAGO  CREAM. 

Wash  the  sago  clean,  and  put  it  on  the  fire  with  a 
stick  of  cinnamon,  and  as  much  water  as  will  boil  it 
thick  and  soft;  take  out  the  cinnamon,  and  add  rich 
boiled  custard  till  it  is  of  a  proper  thickness;  sweeten 
it,  and  serve  in  glasses  or  cups,  with  grated  nutmeg 
on  the  top. 

BARLEY  CREAM 

Is  made  the  same  way — you  may  add  a  little  white 
wine  to  both;  it  will  give  an  agreeable  flavour. 


GOOSEBERRY  FOOL. 

Pick  the  stems  and  blossoms  from  two  quarts  of 
green  gooseberries;  put  them  in  a  stew  pan,  with  their 
weight  in  loaf  sugar,  and  a  very  little  water — when 
efficiently  stewed,  pass  the  pulp  through  a  sieve;  and 


150  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

when  cold,  add  rich  boiled  custard  till  it  is  like  thick 
cream;  put  it  in  a  glass  bowl,  and  lay  frothed  cream 
on  the  top. 

TO  MAKE  SLIP. 

Make  a  quart  of  rich  milk  moderately  warm:  then 
stir  into  it  one  large  spoonful  of  the  preparation  of  ren¬ 
net,  (see  receipt  to  prepare  rennet,)  set  it  by,  and 
when  cold,  it  will  be  as  stiff  as  jelly.  It  should  be 
made  only  a  few  hours  before  it  is  used,  or  it  will  b<? 
tough  and  watery;  in  summer,  set  the  dish  in  ice  after 
it  has  jellied — it  must  be  eaten  with  powdered  sugar, 
cream,  and  nutmeg. 

CURDS  AND  CREAM. 

Turn  one  quart  of  milk  as  for  the  slip — let  it  stand 
until  just  before  it  is  to  be  served:  then  take  it  up  with 
a  skimming  dish,  and  lay  it  on  a  sieve — when  the 
whey  has  drained  off,  put  the  curds  in  a  dish,  and 
surround  them  with  cream — use  sugar  and  nutmeg 
These  are  Arcadian  dishes;  very  delicious,  cheap,  and 
easily  prepared. 

BLANC  MANGE. 

Break  one  ounce  of  isinglass  into  very  small  pieces; 
wash  it  well,  and  pour  on  a  pint  of  boiling  water;  next 
morning,  add  a  quart  of  milk,  boil  it  till  the  isinglass  is 
dissolved,  strain  it,  put  in  two  ounces  sweet  almonds, 
blanched  and  pounded;  sweeten  it,  and  put  it  in  the 
mould — when  stiff,  turn  them  into  a  deep  dish,  and 
put  raspberry  cream  around  them.  For  a  change,  stick 
thin  slips  of  blanched  almonds  all  over  the  blanc  mange, 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  151 

and  dress  round  with  syllabub,  nicely  frothed.  Some 
moulds  require  colouring — for  an  ear  of  corn,  mix  the 
yelk  of  an  egg  with  a  little  of  the  blanc  mange;  fill  the 
grains  of  the  corn  with  it — and  when  quite  set,  pour 
in  the  white,  but  take  care  it  is  not  warm  enough  to 
melt  the  yellow:  for  a  bunch  of  asparagus,  colour  a 
little  with  spinach  juice,  to  fill  the  green  tops  of  the 
heads.  Fruk  must  be  made  the  natural  colour  of  what 
it  represents.  Cochineal  and  alkanet  root  pounded  and 
dissolved  in  brandy,  make  good  colouring;  but  blanc 
mange  should  never  be  served,  without  raspberry  cream 
or  syllabub  to  eat  with  it. 


TO  MAKE  A  HEN’S  NEST. 

Get  five  small  eggs,  make  a  hole  at  one  end,  and 
empty  the  shells — fill  them  with  blanc  mange:  when 
stiff  and  cold,  take  off  the  shells,  pare  the  yellow  rind 
very  thin  from  six  lemons,  boil  them  in  water  till  ten¬ 
der,  then  cut  them  in  thin  strips  to  resemble  straw, 
and  preserve  them  with  sugar;  fill  a  small  deep  dish 
half  full  of  nice  jelly — when  it  is  set,  put  the  straw 
on  in  form  of  a  nest,  and  lay  the  eggs  in  it.  It  is  a 
beautiful  dish  for  a  dessert  or  supper. 


Little  Dishes  for  u  Second  Course ,  or  Supper. 

PHEASANTS  A-LA-DAUB. 

Roast  two  pheasants  in  the  nicest  manner — get  a 
deep  dish,  the  size  and  form  of  the  one  you  intend  to 
serve  the  pheasants  in — it  must  be  as  deep  as  a  tureen; 
put  in  savoury  jelly  about  an  inch  and  a  half  at  tbs 
bottom;  when  that  is  set,  and  the  pheasants  cold,  ky 


152  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE 

them  on  the  jelly  with  their  breasts  down;  fill  the  disil 
with  jelly  up  to  their  backs;  take  care  it  is  not  warm 
enough  to  melt  die  other,  and  that  the  birds  are  not 
displaced — just  before  it  is  to  be  served,  set  it  a  mo¬ 
ment  in  hot  water  to  loosen  it;  put  the  dish  on  the  top, 
and  turn  it  out  carefully. 

PARTRIDGES  A-LA-DAUB. 

Truss  six  partridges  neatly,  cover  them  with  thin 
slices  of  fat  bacon  taken  from  the  top  of  a  middling; 
this  keeps  them  white,  and  gives  a  good  flavour;  they 
must  be  wrapped  entirely  in  it — roast  them,  and  when 
done,  take  off  the  bacon;  let  them  get  cold,  and  use 
jelly  as  for  the  pheasants. 

CHICKENS  A-LA-DAUB. 

Roast  two  half  grown  chickens,  cut  off  the  legs 
and  wings,  pull  the  breast  from  each  side  entire,  take 
the  skin  from  all  the  pieces,  lay  it  in  the  dish,  and 
cover  it  with  jelly. 

:  TO  MAKE  SAVOURY  JELLY. 

Put  eight  or  ten  pounds  of  coarse  lean  beef,  or  the 
same  quantity  of  the  inferior  parts  of  the  fore  quarter 
of  veal,  into  a  pot  with  two  gallons  of  water,  a  pound 
of  lean  salt  pork,  three  large  onions  chopped,  three 
carrots,  a  large  handful  of  parsley,  and  any  sweet 
herb  that  you  choose,  with  pepper  and  salt;  boil  it 
very  gently  till  reduced  to  two  quarts;  strain  it  through 
a  sieve — next  day,  take  off  the  fat,  turn  out  the  jelly, 
and  separate  it  from  the  dregs  at  the  bottom;  put  it  on 
the  Are  with  half  a  pint  of  white  wine,  a  large  spoon- 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  Ux» 

ful  of  lemon  pickle,  and  the  whites  and  shells  of  foul 
eggs  beaten:  when  it  boils  clear  on  one  side,  ran  k 
through  the  jelly  bag. 


TURKEY  A-LA-DAUB. 

Bone  a  small  turkey,  put  pepper  and  salt  on  the 
inside,  and  cover  it  with  slices  of  boiled  ham  or 
tongue;  fill  it  with  well  seasoned  forcemeat,  sew  it  lip 
and  boil  it — cover  it  with  jelly. 


SALMAGUNDI. 

Turn  a  bowl  on  the  dish,  and  put  on  it  in  regular 
rings,  beginning  at  the  bottom,  the  following  ingredi¬ 
ents,  all  minced: — anchovies  with  the  bones  taken  out, 
the  white  meat  of  fowls  without  the  skin,  hard  boiled 
eggs,  the  yelks  and  whites  chopped  separately,  parsley, 
the  lean  of  old  ham  scraped,  the  inner  stalks  of  celery; 
put  a  row  of  capers  round  the  bottom  of  the  bowl,  and 
dispose  the  others  in  a  fanciful  manner;  put  a  little 
pyramid  of  butter  on  the  top,  and  have  a  small  glass 
with  egg  mixed  as  for  sallad,  to  eat  with  the  salmagundi. 


AN  EXCELLENT  RELISH  AFTER  DINNER. 

Put  some  soup  or  gravy  from  any  of  the  dishes  on 
the  table,  into  the  stew  dish;  add  a  good  portion  of 
pepper,  vinegar,  wine,  catsup  and  salt;  let  it  be  very 
highly  seasoned;  broil  the  legs,  liver,  and  gizzard  of 
a  turkey,  the  kidney  of  veal,  or  any  thing  you  fancy „ 
cut  it  up  in  small  pieces:  when  broiled,  put  it  in  tr.e 
gravy,  and  stew  it  at  table. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


*54 


TO  STEW  PERCH. 

Lay  the  perch  in  a  deep  pan  with  the  heads  on; 

sprinkle  salt,  pepper,  and  a  little  chopped  onion  over 

each  layer;  when  they  are  all  in,  take  as  much  water 

as  will  be  sufficient  to  fill  the  pan  less  than  half  full; 

add  a  gill  of  wine,  one  of  catsup,  a  little  lemon  pickle 

and  spice;  cover  the  pan,  and  let  it  stew  gently  till 

done;  take  out  the  fish  without  breaking,  put  them  in 

a  deep  dish,  pour  the  gravy  on,  and  neatly  turn  them  out 

0 

PRESERVES. 

DIRECTIONS  FOR  MAKING  PRESERVES. 

The  preserving  pan  should  be  made  of  bell  metal, 
flat  at  the  bottom,  very  large  in  diameter,  but  not  deep 
it  should  have  a  cover  to  fit  closely,  and  handles  at 
the  sides  of  the  pan,  for  taking  it  off  with  ease  when 
the  syrup  boils  too  last.  There  should  also  be  a  large 
chafing-dish  with  long  legs,  for  the  convenience  of 
moving  it  to  any  part  of  the  room.  The  process  is  a 
tedious  one;  and  if  the  superintendent  be  not  com¬ 
fortably  situated,  the  preserves  cannot  be  properly 
managed.  A  ladle  the  size  of  a  saucer,  pierced  and 
having  a  long  handle,  will  be  necessary  for  taking  up 
the  fruit  without  syrup.  When  a  chafing-dish  cannot 
be  procured,  the  best  substitute  is  a  brick  stove,  with 
a  grating,  to  burn  charcoal.  The  sugar  should  be  the 
best  double  refined;  but  if  the  pure  amber  coloured 
sugar  house  syrup  from  the  West  Indies  can  be  got,  it 
is  greatly  superior;  it  never  ferments,  and  the  trouble 
«s  very  much  lessened  by  naving  ready  made  syrup, 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  155 

in  which  it  is  only  necessary  to  boil  the  fruit  till  clear. 
All  delicate  fruit  should  be  done  gently,  and  not  al¬ 
lowed  to  remain  more  than  half  an  hour  after  it  begins 
to  stew,  before  it  is  laid  on  dishes  to  cool;  it  must  be 
put  into  the  syrup  again  for  the  same  time;  continue 
this  until  it  is  sufficiently  transparent.  The  , ad  van 
tage  of  this  method  is  that  the  preserves  are  less  liable 
to  boil  to  pieces,  than  when  done  all  at  one  time.  It 

injudicious  to  put  more  in  the  pan  at  once,  than  can 
lie  on  the  bottom  without  crowding.  The  pan  must 
be  made  bright,  and  nothing  permitted  to  cool  in  it, 
lest  it  should  canker.  Delicate  preserves  should  be 
kept  in  small  glasses  or  pots,  that  will  not  hold  more 
than  one  or  two  pounds,  for  the  admission  of  air  in¬ 
jures  them;  put  letter  paper  wet  with  brandy  on  the 
preserves,  and  cover  the  tops  with  many  folds  of  sott 
paper,  that  will  tie  round  closely;  keep  them  in  a  dry 
place,  and  expose  them  constantly  to  the  sun  to  check 
fermentation.  *  Fruit  for  preserving  should  be  in  full 
perfection,  but  not  too  ripe. 

TO  PRESERVE  CLING-STONE  PEACHES. 

Get  the  finest  yellow  cling-stones,  pare  them,  and 
lay  them  in  a  bowl;  have  their  weight  of  sugar 
pounded,  and  sprinkle  it  over  them  as  they  are  put  in; 
let  them  stand  two  or  three  hours,  put  them  together 
with  the  sugar  into  the  pan,  add  a  little  water,  and 
let  the  peaches  remain  till  thoroughly  scalded;  take 
them  out  with  the  ladle,  draining  off  the  syrup;  should 
there  not  be  enough  to  cover  the  peaches,  add  more 
water,  boil  it  and  skim  it,  return  the  fruit,  and  do  them 
gently  till  quite  clear.  Have  some  stones  cracked, 
blanch  kernels,  and  . preserve  them  with  the  peaches. 


156 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE 


CLING-STONES  SLICED. 

Pare  the  peaches,  and  cut  them  in  as  large  slice* 
as  possible;  have  their  weight  in  sugar,  and  preserve 
them  as  the  others. 


SOFT  PEACHES. 

Get  yellow  soft  peaches  that  are  not  quite  ripe, 
pare  and  divide  them,  scrape  the  places  where  the 
stones  lay  with  a  tea-spoon,  a..d  follow  the  former 
directions. 


PEACH  MARMALADE. 

Take  the  ripest  soft  peaches,  (the  yellow  ones  make 
the  prettiest  marmalade,)  pare  them,  and  take  out  the 
stones;  put  them  in  the  pan  with  one  pound  of  dry 
light  coloured  brown  sugar  to  two  of  peaches:  when 
they  are  juicy,  they  do  not  require  water:  with  a 
silver  or  wooden  spoon,  chop  them  with  the  sugar; 
continue  to  do  this,  and  let  them  boil  gently  till  they 
are  a  transparent  pulp,  that  will  be  a  jelly  when  cold. 
Puffs  made  of  this  marmalade  are  very  delicious. 


PEACH  CHIPS. 

Slice  them  thin,  and  boil  them  till  clear  in  a  syrup 
made  with  half  their  weight  of  sugar;  lay  them  on 
dishes  in  the  sun,  and  turn  them  till  dry;  pack  them 
in  pots  with  powdered  sugar  sifted  over  each  l  lyer; 
should  there  be  syrup  left,  continue  the  proces?  wi'.h 
other  peaches.  They  are  very  nice  when  donf  with 
pure  honey  instead  of  sugar. 


’  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


157 


PEARS. 

The  small  pears  are  better  for  preserving  than  large 
ones.  Pare  them,  and  make  a  syrup,  with  their  weight 
of  sugar,  and  a  little  water — leave  the  stem  on,  and 
stick  a  clove  in  the  blossom  end  of  each;  stew  them 
till  perfectly  transparent. 


PEAR  MARMALADE. 

Boil  the  pears  till  soft — when  cold,  rub  the  pulp 
through  a  sieve,  and  boil  it  to  a  jelly,  allowing  one 
pound  of  sugar  to  two  of  pears. 


QUINCES. 

Select  the  finest  and  most  perfect  quinces,  lay  them 
on  shelves,  but  do  not  let  them  touch  each  other;  keep 
them  till  they  look  yellow  and  have  a  fragrant  smell; 
put  as  many  in  the  preserving  pan  as  can  lie  con¬ 
veniently,  cover  them  with  water,  and  scald  them  well: 
then  take  out  the  cores,  and  put  them  in  water;  cover 
the  pan  and  boil  them  some  time;  strain  the  water, 
add  to  it  the  weight  of  the  quinces  in  pounded  loaf 
sugar,  dissolve  and  skim  it,  pare  the  quinces,  put  them 
in  the  pan,  and  should  there  not  be  syrup  enough  to 
cover  them,  add  more  water — stew  them  till  quite 
transparent.  They  will  be  light  coloured  if  kept 
covered  during  the  process,  and  red  if  the  cover  be 
taken  off.  Fill  the  space  the  cores  occupied  with 
quince  jelly,  before  they  are  put  into  the  pots — and 
cover  them  with  syrup. 


158 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


CURRANT  JELLY. 

Pick  full  ripe  currants  from  the  stem,  and  put  them 
in  a  stone  pot;  then  set  it  in  an  iron  pot  of  water — 
take  care  that  no  water  gets  in:  when  the  currants 
have  yielded  their  juice,  pour  them  into  a  jelly  bag — 
let  it  run  as  long  as  it  will  without  pressing,  which 
must  be  reserved  for  the  best  jelly;  you  may  then 
squeeze  the  bag  to  make  inferior  kind.  To  each  pint 
of  this  juice,  put  one  pound  of  loaf  sugar  powdered — 
boil  it  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes — skim  it  clean,  and 
put  it  in  glasses;  expose  them  daily  to  the  sun  to  pre¬ 
vent  fermentation. 

QUINCE  JELLY. 

Prepare  the  quinces  as  before  directed,  take  off  the 
stems  and  blossoms,  wash  them  clean,  and  cut  them 
in  slices  without  paring;  fill  the  pan,  and  pour  in 
water  to  cover  them — stew  them  gently,  putting  in  a 
little  water  occasionally  till  they  are  soft;  then  pour 
them  into  a  jelly  bag;  let  all  the  liquor  run  through 
without  pressing  it,  which  must  be  set  aside  for  the 
best  jelly;  to  each  pint  of  this,  put  a  pound  of  loaf 
sugar  pounded,  and  boil  it  to  a  jelly.  The  bag  may 
be  squeezed  for  an  inferior,  but  a  very  nice  jelly. 

QUINCE  MARMALADE. 

Boil  the  quinces  in  water  until  soft,  let  them  cool, 
and  rub  all  the  pulp  through  a  sieve:  put  two  pounds 
of  it  to  one  of  sugar,  pound  a  little  cochineal,  sift  it 
through  fine  muslin,  and  mix  it  with  the  quince  to 
give  a  colour;  pick  out  the  seeds,  tie  them  in  a  muslin 
bag,  and  boil  them  with  the  marmalade:  when  it  is  a 
thick  jelly,  take  out  the  seeds,  and  put  it  in  pots. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


159 


CHERRIES. 

The  most  beautiful  cherries  to  preserve,  are  the 
carnation  and  common  light  red,  with  short  stems; 
select  the  finest  that  are  not  too  ripe;  take  an  equal 
weight  with  the  cherries  of  double  refined  sugar, 
make  it  into  a  syrup,  and  preserve  them  without 
stoning,  and  with  the  stems  on;  if  they  be  done  care¬ 
fully,  and  the  “Directions  for  preserving”  closely 
attended  to,  the  stems  will  not  come  off,  and  they  will 
be  so  transparent  that  the  stones  may  be  seen. 


MORELLO  CHERRIES. 

Take  out  the  stones  with  a  quill  over  a  deep  dish, 
to  save  the  juice  that  runs  from  them;  put  to  the  juice 
a  pound  of  sugar  for  each  pound  of  cherries,  weighed 
after  they  are  stoned;  boil  and  skim  the  syrup,  then 
put  in  the  fruit,  and  stew  till  quite  clear. 


TO  DRY  CHERRIES. 

Stone  them,  and  save  the  juice:  weigh  the  cherries, 
and  allow  one  pound  of  good  brown  sugar  to  three  of 
the  fruit;  boil  it  with  the  juice,  put  the  cherries  in, 
stew  them  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  take  them  out, 
drain  off  the  syrup,  and  lay  the  cherries  in  dishes  to 
dry  in  the  sun;  keep  the  syrup  to  pour  over  a  little  at 
a  time,  as  it  dries  on  the  cherries,  which  must  be 
frequently  turned  over;  when  all  the  syrup  is  used, 
put  the  cherries  away  in  pots,  sprinkling  a  little 
powdered  loaf  sugar  between  the  layers.  They  make 
excellent  pies,  puddings,  and  charlottes. 


.60 


the  Virginia  housewife. 


RASPBERRY  JAM. 

To  each  pound  of  ripe  red  or  English  raspberries 
put  one  pound  of  loaf  sugar — Stir  it  frequently,  anil 
stew  till  it  is  a  thick  jelly. 

TO  PRESERVE  STRAWBERRIES. 

Get  the  largest  strawberries  before  they  are  too 
ripe;  have  the  best  loaf  sugar,  one  pound  to  each  of 
strawberries — stew  them  very  gently,  taking  them  out 
to  cool  frequently,  that  they  may  not  be  mashed;  when 
they  look  clear,  they  are  done  enough. 

STRAWBERRY  JAM 

Is  made  in  the  same  manner  as  the  raspberry,  and 
is  very  fine  to  mix  with  cream  for  blanc  mange,  puffs, 
sweetmeat  puddings,  &c.  &c. 

GOOSEBERRIES. 

Select  young  gooseberries,  make  a  syrup  with  one 
pound  of  loaf  sugar  to  each  of  fruit;  stew  them  till 
quite  clear  and  the  syrup  becomes  thick,  but  do  not 
let  them  be  mashed.  They  are  excellent  made  into 
tarts — do  rrot  cover  the  pan  while  they  are  stewing. 

APRICOTS  IN  BRANDY. 

Take  freshly  gathered  apricots  not  too  ripe;  to 
half  their  weight  of  loaf  sugar,  add  as  much  water 
as  will  cover  the  fruit;  boil  and  skim  it:  then  put  in 
the  apricots,  and  let  them  remain  five  or  six  minutes: 
take  them  up  without  syrup,  and  lay  them  on  dishes 
to  cool;  boil  the  syrup  till  reduced  one  half;  when  the 
apricots  are  cold,  put  them  in  bottles,  and  cover  then 


TIIE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  161 

with  equal  quantities  of  syrup  and  French  brandy, 
[f  the  apricots  be  cling-stones,  they  will  require  more 
scalding. 

PEACHES  IN  BRANDY. 

Get  yellow  soft  peaches,  perfectly  free  from  defect 
and  newly  gathered,  but  not  too  ripe;  place  them  in  a 
pot,  and  cover  them  ‘'with  cold  weak  lye*;  turn  over 
those  that  float  frequently,  that  the  lye  may  act  equally 
on  them;  at  the  end  of  an  hour  take  them  out,  wipe 
them  carefully  with  a  soft  cloth  to  get  off  the  down 
and  skin,  and  lay  them  in  cold  water;  make  a  syrup 
as  for  the  apricots,  and  proceed  in  the  same  manner, 
only  scald  the  peaches  more. 

CHERRIES  IN  BRANDY. 

Get  the  short  stemmed  bright  red  cherries  in 
bunches — make  a  syrup,  with  equal  quantities  of  sugar 
and  cherries;  scald  the  cherries,  but  do  not  let  the 
skins  crack,  which  they  will  do  if  the  fruit  be  too  ripe. 

MAGNUM  BONUM  PLUMS  IN  BRANDY. 

Select  those  that  are  free  from  blemish — make  a 
syrup  with  half  their  weight  of  sugar,  and  preserve 
them  in  the  same  manner  directed  for  apricots — green 
gages.  The  large  amber,  and  the  blue  plums,  are  also 
excellent,  done  in  the  same  way. 

PICKLING. 

LEMON  PICKLE. 

Grate  the  yellow  rind  from  two  dozen  fine  fresh 
^mons,  quarter  them,  but  leave  them  whole  at  the 
II 


162  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

6ottom;  sprinkle  salt  on  them,  and  put  them  in  the 
sun  every  day  until  dry;  then  brush  off  the  salt,  put 
them  in  a  pot  with  one  ounce  of  nutmegs,  and  one  of 
mace  pounded;  a  large  handful  of  horseradish  scraped 
and  dried  two  dozen  cloves  of  garlic,  and  a  pint  of 
mustard  seed;  pour  on  one  gallon  of  strong  vinegar, 
tie  the  pot  close,  put  a  board  on,  and  let  it  stand  three 
months — strain  it,  and  when  perfectly  clear,  bottle  it. 

TOMATO  CATSUP. 

Gather  a  peck  of  tomatos,  pick  out  the  stems,  and 
wash  them;  put  them  on  the  fire  without  water,  sprin¬ 
kle  on  a  few  spoonsful  of  salt,  let  them  boil  steadily 
an  hour,  stirring  them  frequently;  strain  them  through 
a  colander,  and  then  through  a  sieve;  put  the  liquid 
on  the  lire  with  half  a  pint  of  chopped  onions,  half 
a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  mace  broke  into  small  pieces; 
and  if  not  sufficiently  salt,  add  a  little  more — one 
table-spoonful  of  whole  black  pepper;  boil  all  together 
until  just  enough  to  fill  two  bottles;  cork  it  tight. 
Make  it  in  August,  in  dry  weather. 

TOMATO  MARMALADE. 

Gather  full  grown  tomatos  while  quite  green;  take 
out  the  stems,  and  stew  them  till  soft;  rub  them 
through  a  sieve,  put  the  pulp  on  the  fire  seasoned 
highly  with  pepper,  salt,  and  pounded  cloves;  add 
some  garlic,  and  stew  all  together  till  thick:  it  keeps 
well,  and  is  excellent  for  seasoning  gravies.  &c.  &c. 

TOMATO  SWEET  xMARMALADE. 

Prepare  it  in  the  same  manner,  mix  some  loaf  sugaf 
with  the  pulp,  and  stew  until  it  is  a  stiff  jelly. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


163 


TOMATO  SOY. 

Take  a  bushel  of  full  ripe  tomatos,  cut  them  in 
slices  without  skinning — sprinkle  the  botton  of  a 
large  tub  with  salt,  strew  in  the  tomatos,  and  over 
each  layer  of  about  two  inches  thick,  sprinkle  half  a 
pint  of  salt,  and  three  onions  sliced  without  taking  off 
the  skins. 

When  the  bushel  of  tomatos  is  thus  prepared,  let 
them  remain  for  three  days,  then  put  them  into  a  large 
iron  pot,  in  which  they  must  boil  from  early  in  the 
morning  till  night,  constantly  stirring  to  prevent  their 
sticking  and  mashing  them. 

The  next  morning,  pass  the  mixture  through  a  sieve, 
pressing  it  to  obtain  all  the  liquor  you  can;  and  add 
to  it  one  ounce  of  cloves,  quarter  of  a  pound  of 
allspice,  quarter  of  a  pound  of  whole  black  pepper, 
and  a  small  wine  glass  of  Cayenne;  let  it  boil  slowly 
and  constantly  during  the  whole  of  the  day — in  the 
evening,  put  it  into  a  suitable  vessel  to  cool;  and  the 
day  after,  bottle  and  cork  it  well:  place  it  in  a  cool 
situation  during  warm  weather,  and  it  will  keep  for 
many  years,  provided  it  has  been  boiled  very  slowly 
and  sufficiently  in  the  preparation.  Should  it  ferment 
it  must  be  boiled  a  second  time. 

PEPPER  VINEGAR. 

Get  one  dozen  pods  of  pepper  when  ripe,  take  out 
the  stems,  and  cut  them  in  two;  put  them  in  a  kettle 
with  three  pints  of  vinegar,  boil  it  away  to  one  quart, 
and  strain  it  through  a  sieve.  A  little  of  this  is  excel¬ 
lent  in  gravy  of  ev-ery  kind,  and  gives  a  flavour 
greatly  superior  to  black  pepper;  it  is  also  very  tine 
when  added  to  each  of  the  various  catsups  for  fish  sauce 


164 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


MUSHROOM  CATSUP. 

Take  the  flaps  of  the  proper  mushrooms  from  the 
siems — wash  them,  add  some  salt,  and  crush  them; 
then  boil  them  some  time,  strain  them  through  a  cloth, 
put  them  on  the  fire  again  with  salt  to  your  taste,  a 
few  cloves  of  garlic,  and  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of 
cloves  pounded,  to  a  peck  of  mushrooms;  boil  it  till 
reduced  to  less  than  half  the  original  quantity — bottle 
and  cork  it  well. 


TARRAGON  OR  ASTRAGON  VINEGAR. 

Pick  the  tarragon  nicely  from  the  stem,  let  it  lie  in 
a  dry  place  forty-eight  hours;  put  it  in  a  pitcher,  and 
to  one  quart  of  the  leaves  put  three  pints  of  strong 
rinegar;  cover  it  close,  and  let  it  stand  a  week* — then 
strain  it,  and  after  standing  in  the  pitcher  till  quite 
clear,  bottle  it,  and  cork  it  closely. 

CURRY  POWDER. 

One  ounce  turmeric,  one  do.  coriander  seed,  one 
do.  cummin  seed,  one  do.  white  ginger,  one  of  nut¬ 
meg,  one  of  mace,  and  one  of  Cayenne  pepper;  pound 
all  together, -and  pass  them  through  a  fine  sieve;  bottle 
and  cork  it  well — one  tea-spoonful  is  sufficient  to  sea 
son  any  made  dish. 

TO  PICKLE  CUCUMBERS. 

Gather  them  full  grown,  but  quite  young — take  off 
the  green  rind,  and  slice  them  tolerably  thick;  put  a 
layer  in  a  deep  dish,  strew  over  it  some  chopped  onion 
and  salt;  do  this  until  they  are  all  in;  sprinkle  salt  on 
the  top,  let  them  stand  six  hours,  put  them  in  a  colan 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  165 

der — when  all  the  liquor  has  run  off,  put  them  in  a  pot, 
strew  a  little  cayenne  pepper  over  each  layer,  and 
cover  them  with  strong  cold  vinegar;  when  the  pot 
is  full,  pour  on  some  sweet  oil,  and  tie  it  up  close; 
at  the  end  of  a  fortnight,  pour  off  the  first  vinegar, 
and  put  on  fresh. 


OIL  MANGOS. 

Gather  the  melons  a  size  larger  than  a  goose  egg- 
put  them  in  a  pot,  pour  boiling  salt  and  water  made 
strong  upon  them,  and  cover  them  up;  next  day,  cut 
a  slit  from  the  stem  to  the  blossom  end,  and  take  out 
the  seeds  carefully — return  them  to  the  brine,  and  let 
them  remain  in  it  eight  days;  then  put  them  in  strong 
vinegar  for  a  fortnight,  wipe  the  insides  with  a  soft 
cloth,  stuff  them  and  tie  them,  pack  them  in  a  pot 
with  the  slit  uppermost;  strew  some  of  the  stuffing  over 
each  layer,  and  keep  them  covered  with  the  best 
vinegar. 


TO  MAKE  THE  STUFFING  FOR  FORTY 

MELONS. 

Wash  a  pound  of  white  race  ginger  very  clean; 
pour  boiling  water  on  it,  and  let  it  stand  twenty-four 
hours;  slice  it  thin,  and  dry  it;  one  pound  of  horse¬ 
radish  scraped  and  dried,  one  pound  of  mustard  seed 
washed  and  dried,  one  pound  of  chopped  onion,  one 
ounce  of  mace,  one  of  nutmeg  pounded  fine,  two 
ounces  of  turmeric,  and  a  handful  of  whole  black 
pepper;  make  these  ingredients  into  a  paste,  with  a 
quarter  of  a  pound  of  mustard,  and  a  large  cup  fill J 
of  sweet  oil;  put  a  clove  of  garlic  into  each  mango 


166 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE 


TO  MAKE  YELLOW  PICKLE. 

Put  all  the  articles  intended  for  the  yellow  picfi/e 
in  a  pot,  and  pour  on  them  boiling  salt  and  water — 
let  them  stand  forty-eight  hours,  take  advantage  of  a 
clear  hot  day,  press  the  water  from  the  articles,  and 
lay  them  to  dry  in  full  sunshine,  on  a  table  covered 
with  a  thick  soft  cWh,  with  the  corners  pinned  se¬ 
curely,  that  they  may  not  blow  up  over  the  things — 
the  cloth  absorbs  the  moisture;  and  by  turning  them 
frequently  on  a  dry  place,  they  become  white,  and  re¬ 
ceive  the  colour  of  the  turmeric  more  readily — one 
day  of  clear  sunshine  is  enough  to  prepare  them  for 
the  first  vinegar.  When  dried,  put  them  in  a  pot  of 
plain  cold  vinegar,  with  a  little  turmeric  in  it — let  them 
remain  in  it  two  weeks  to  draw  off  the  water  from 
them,  and  to  make  them  plump — then  put  them  in  a 
clean  pot,  and  pour  on  the  vinegar,  prepared  by  the 
following  directions — this  is  the  most  economical  and 
best  way  of  keeping  them — mix  the  turmeric  very 
smoothly,  before  you  add  it  to  your  pickles. 


TO  MAKE  GREEN  PICKLES. 

Put  the  articles  you  intend  to  pickle,  in  a  pot — and 
cover  them  with  boiling  salt  and  water:  put  a  thick 
cloth  on  the  top,  and  then  a  plate  that  will  fit  it — let 
it  stand  till  the  next  morning,  then  pour  ofif  the  salt 
and  water,  boil  it  again,  and  cover  them  as  before;  do 
this  until  your  pickles  are  a  good  green — then  pu* 
them  in  plain  cold  vinegar,  with  some  turmeric  in  it; 
and  at  the  end  of  a  fortnight,  put  them  up,  as  you  do 
the  yellow  pickle. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


167 


TO  PREPARE  vinegar  for  green  or 
YELLOW  PICKLE. 

One  pound  of  ginger  sliced  and  dried,  one  of  horse¬ 
radish  scraped  and  dried,  one  of  mustard  seed  washed 
and  dried,  one  ounce  long  pepper,  an  ounce  of  mace, 
and  one  of  nutmegs  finely  pounded;  put  all  these  in¬ 
gredients  ’n  a  pot,  pour  two  gallons  of  strong  vinegar 
on,  and  ii.  it  stand  twelve  months,  stirring  it  very 
frequently.  When  this  vinegar  is  used  for  the  pickles, 
put  two  gallons  mc:t  Cnegai,  with  some  mace  and 
nutmegs,  and  keep  it  lor  a  year.  When  the 

prepared  vinegar  is  poured  from  the  ingredients,  do  it 
very  carefully,  that  it  may  be  quite  clear.  Pickles 
keep  much  better  when  the  vinegar  is  not  boiled. 
Should  the  green  pickles  at  any  time  lose  their  colour, 
it  may  be  restored  by  adding  a  little  more  turmeric. 
All  pickles  are  best,  when  one  or  two  years  old. 

TO  PICKLE  ONIONS. 

Get  white  onions  that  are  not  too  large,  cut  the 
stem  close  to  the  root  with  a  sharp  knife,  put  them  in 
a  pot,  pour  on  boiling  salt  and  water  to  cover  them, 
stop  the  pot  closely,  let  them  stand  a  fortnight,  chang¬ 
ing  the  salt  and  water  every  three  days;  they  must  be 
stirred  daily,  or  those  that  float  will  become  soft;  at 
the  end  of  this  time,  take  off  the  skin  and  outer  shell, 
put  them  in  plain  cold  vinegar  with  a  little  turmeric. 
If  the  vinegar  be  not  very  pale,  the  onion  will  not  be 
of  a  good  colour. 

TO  PICKLE  NASTERTIUMS. 

Gather  the  berries  when  full  grown  but  young, 
^ut  them  in  a  pot,  pour  boiling  sal'  and  water  on,  and 


168  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

,fet  them  stand  three  or  four  days;  then  drain  off  the 
water,  and  cover  them  with  cold  vinegar;  add  a  few 
blades  of  mace,  and  whole  grains  of  black  pepper. 

TO  PICKLE  RADISH  PODS. 

Cut  them  in  nice  bunches  as  soon  as  they  are  fully 
formed;  they  must  be  young  and  tender — pour  boiling 
salt  and  water  on  them,  cover  with  a  thick  cloth,  and 
pewter  plate,  to  keep  in  the  steam;  repeat  this  every 
day  till  they  are  a  good  green;  then  put  them  in  cold 
vinegar,  with  mace  and  whole  pepper;  mix  a  little 
turmeric,  with  a  small  portion  of  oil,  and  stir  it  into 
the  vinegar;  it  will  make  the  pods  of  a  more  lively 
green.  They  are  very  pretty  for  garnishing  meats 

TO  PICKLE  ENGLISH  WALNUTS. 

The  walnuts  should  be  gathered  when  the  nut  is  so 
young  that  you  can  run  a  pin  into  it  easily;  pour  boil¬ 
ing  salt  and  water  on,  and  let  them  be  covered  with  it 
nine  days,  changing  it  every  third  day — take  them  out, 
and  put  them  on  dishes  in  the  air  for  a  few  minutes, 
takino-  care  to  turn  them  „  or;  this  will  make  them 
black  much  sooner — j  ...t  them  in  a  pot,  strew  ovei 
some  whole  pepper,  cloves,  a  little  garlic,  mustard 
seed,  and  1  orse-radish  scraped  and  dried;  cover  them 
with  strong  cold  vinegar. 


TO  PICKLE  PEPPERS. 

Gather  the  large  bell  pepper  when  quite  young, 
leave  the  seeds  in  and  the  stem  on,  cut  a  slit  in  one 
side  between  the  large  veins,  to  let  the  water  in;  pour 
boiling  salt  and  water  on,  changing  it  every  da;-  for 
three  weeks — you  must  keep  them  closely  stopped;  if, 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  H>3 

at  the  end  of  this  time,  they  be  a  good  green,  put  them 
in  pots,  and  cover  them  with  cold  vinegar  rnd  a  little 
turmeric;  those  that  are  not  sufficiently  green,  must  be 
continued  under  the  same  process  till  they  are  so  Be 
careful  not  to  cut  through  the  large  veins,  as  the  heat 
will  instantly  diffuse  itself  through  the  pod. 

TO  MAKE  WALNUT  CATSUP. 

Gather  the  walnuts  as  for  pickling,  and  keep  them 
in  salt  and  water  the  same  time;  then  pound  them  in 
a  marble  mortar — to  every  dozen  walnuts,  put  a  quart 
of  vinegar;  stir  them  well  every  day  for  a  week,  then 
put  them  in  a  bag,  and  press  all  the  liquor  through; 
to  each  quart,  put  a  tea-spoonful  of  pounded  cloves, 
and  one  of  mace,  with  six  cloves  of  garlic — boil  it 
fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  and  bottle  it. 

TO  PICKLE  GREEN  NECTARINES  OR  APRI¬ 
COTS. 

Gather  them  while  the  shell  is  soft — green  them 
with  salt  and  water  as  before  directed;  when  a  good 
green,  soak  them  in  plain  vinegar  for  a  fortnight,  and 
put  them  in  the  yellow  pickle  pot. 

TO  PICKLE  ASPARAGUS. 

Pour  boiling  salt  and  water  on,  and  cover  them 
close — next  day,  take  them  out,  dry  them,  and  after 
standing  in  vinegar,  put  them  with  the  yellow  pickle 

OBSERVATIONS  ON  PICKLING. 

The  vessels  for  keeping  pickles  should  be  made  of 
stone  ware,  straight  from  the  bottom  to  the  top,  with 
stone  covers  to  them;  when  the  mouth  is  very  wide. 


170  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

the  pickles  may  be  taken  out  without  breaking  them 
The  motive  for  keeping  all  pickles  in  plain  vinegar, 
previous  to  putting  them  in  the  prepared  pot,  is  to 
draw  off  the  water  with  which  they  are  saturated,  that 
they  may  not  weaken  the  vinegar  of  the  pot.  Pickles 
keep  much  better  when  the  vinegar  is  not  boiled. 

CORDIALS,  &c. 

GINGER  WINE. 

To  three  gallons  of  water,  put  three  pounds  of 
sugar,  and  four  ounces  of  race  ginger,  washed  in  many 
waters  to  cleanse  it;  boil  them  together  for  one  hour, 
and  strain  it  through  a  sieve;  when  lukewarm,  put  it 
in  a  cask  with  three  lemons  cut  in  slices,  and  two  gills 
of  beer  yeast;  shake  it  well,  and  stop  the  cask  very 
tight;  let  it  stand  a  wreek  to  ferment;  and  if  not  clear 
enough  to  bottle,  it  must  remain  until  it  becomes  so; 
it  will  be  lit  to  drink  in  ten  days  after  bottling. 

ORGEAT, 

j9  Necessary  Refreshment  at  all  Parties. 

Boil  two  quarts  of  milk  with  a  stick  of  cinnamon 
and  let  it  stand  to  be  quite  cold,  first  taking  out  the 
cinnamon;  blanch  four  ounces  of  the  best  sweet 
almonds,  pound  them  in  a  marble  mortar  with  a  little 
rose-water;  mix  them  well  with  the  milk,  sweeten  it 
to  your  taste,  and  let  it  boil  a  few  minutes  only,  lest 
the  almonds  should  be  oily;  strain  it  through  a  very 
fine  sieve  till  quite  smooth,  and  free  from  the  almonds, 
serve  it  up  either  cold  or  lukewarm,  in  glasses  with 
handles. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


171 


CHERRY  SHRUB. 

Gather  ripe  morello  cherries,  pick  them  from  the 
Etalk,  and  put  them  in  an  earthen  pot,  which  must  be 
Eet  into  an  iron  pot  of  water;  make  the  water  boil,  but 
take  care  that  none  of  it  gels  into  the  cherries;  when 
the  juice  is  extracted,  pour  it  into  a  bag  made  of 
tolerably  thick  cloth,  which  will  permit  the  juice  to 
pass,  but  not  the  pulp  of  your  cherries;  sweeten  it  to 
your  taste,  and  when  it  becomes  perfectly  clear,  bot¬ 
tle  it — put  a  gill  of  brandy  into  each  bottle,  before  you 
pour  in  the  juice — cover  the  corks  with  rosin.  It  will 
keep  all  summer,  in  a  dry  cool  place,  and  is  delicious 
mixed  with  water. 


CURRANT  WINE. 

Gather  full  ripe  currants  on  a  dry  day,  pick  them 
from  the  stalks,  and  weigh  them;  then  crush  them 
with  your  hands,  leaving  none  whole;  for  every  two 
pounds  of  currants  put  one  quart  of  water;  stir  all 
well  together,  and  let  it  stand  three  hours,  and  strain 
the  liquor  through  a  sieve;  then,  for  every  three 
pounds  of  currants,  put  one  pound  of  powdered  loaf 
sugar;  stir  it  till  the  sugar  is  dissolved,  boil  it,  and 
Keep  skimming  it,  as  long  as  any  scum  will  rise;  let 
it  stand  sixteen  hours  to  cool,  before  you  put  it  in  the 
cask — stop  it  very  close.  If  the  quantity  be  twenty 
gallons,  let  it  stand  three  weeks  before  you  bottle  it; 
if  it  be  thirty  gallons,  it  must  remain  a  month;  it 
should  be  perfectly  clear  when  drawn  off — put  a  lump 
of  sugar  in  each  bottle,  cork  it  well,  and  keep  it  in  a 
cool  place,  or  it  will  turn  soitr.  This  is  a  pleasant 
and  cheap  wine — and  if  properly  made,  will  keep  good 


172 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


for  many  years.  It  makes  an  agreeable  beverage  foi 
the  sick,  when  mixed  with  water. 


TO  MAKE  CHERRY  BRANDY. 

Get  equal  quantities  of  morello  and  common  black 
cherries;  fill  your  cask,  and  pour  on  (to  a  ten  gallon 
cask)  one  gallon  of  boiling  water;  in  two  or  three 
hours,  fill  it  up  with  brandy — let  it  stand  a  week,  then 
draw  off  all,  and  put  another  gallon  of  boiling  water, 
and  fill  it  again  with  brandy — at  the  end  of  the  week, 
draw  the  whole  off,  empty  the  cask  of  the  cherries, 
and  pour  in  your  brandy  with  water,  to  reduce  the 
strength;  first  dissolving  one  pound  of  brown  sugar  in 
each  gallon  of  your  mixture.  If  the  brandy  be  very 
strong,  it  will  bear  water  enough  to  make  the  cask  full. 

ROSE  BRANDY. 

Gather  leaves  from  fragrant  roses  without  bruising, 
fill  a  pitcher  with  them,  and  cover  them  with  French 
brandy;  next  day,  pour  off  the  brandy,  take  out  the 
leaves,  and  fill  the  pitcher  with  fresh  ones,  and  re¬ 
turn  the  brandy;  do  this  till  it  is  strongly  impregnated, 
then  bottle  it;  keep  the  pitcher  closely  covered  during 
the  process.  It  is  better  than  distilled  rose  water  foi 
cakes,  &c. 


PEACH  CORDIAL. 

Gather  ripe  cling-stone  peaches,  wipe  off  the  down, 
cut  them  to  the  stone  in  several  places,  and  put  them 
in  a  cask;  when  filled  with  peaches,  pour  on  as  much 
peach  brandy  as  the  cask  will  hold;  let  it  stand  six  or 
eight  weeks,  then  draw  it  off,  put  in  water  until  re¬ 
duced  to  the  strength  of  wine;  to  each  gallon  of  this, 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  173 

add  one  pound  of  good  brown  sugar — dissolve  it,  and 
pour  the  cordial  into  a  cask  just  large  enough  to  hold 
it — when  perfectly  clear,  it  is  fit  for  use. 

RASPBERRY  CORDIAL. 

To  each  quart  of  ripe  red  raspberries,  put  one  quart 
of  best  French  brandy;  let  it  remain  about  a  week, 
then  strain  it  through  a  sieve  or  bag,  pressing  out  all 
the  liquid;  when  you  have  got  as  much  as  you  want, 
reduce  the  strength  to  your  taste  with  water,  and  pu,t 
a  pound  of  powdered  loaf  sugar  to  each  gallon — let  it 
stand  till  refined.  Strawberry  cordial  is  made  the 
same  way.  It  destroys  the  flavour  of  these  fruits  to 
put  them  on  the  fire. 


RASPBERRY  VINEGAR. 

Put  a  quart  of  ripe  red  raspberries  in  a  bowl;  pour 
on  them  a  quart  of  strong  well  flavoured  vinegar — let 
them  stand  twenty-four  hours,  strain  them  through  a 
bag,  put  this  liquid  on  another  quart  of  fresh  raspber¬ 
ries,  which  strain  in  the  same  manner — and  then  on 
a  third  quart:  when  this  last  is  prepared,  make  it  very 
sweet  with  pounded  loaf  sugar;  refine  and  bottle  it. 
It  is  a  delicious  beverage  mixed  with  iced  water. 

MINT  CORDIAL. 

Pick  the  mint  early  in  the  morning  while  the  dew 
is  on  it,  and  be  careful  not  to  bruise  it;  pour  some 
water  over  it,  and  drain  it — put  two  handsful  into  a 
pitcher,  with  a  quart  of  French  brandy,  cover  it,  and 
let  it  stand  till  next  day;  take  the  mint  carefully  out, 
and  put  in  as  much  more,  which  must  be  taken  out 
next  day — do  this  the  third  time:  then  put  three 


174  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

quarts  of  water  to  the  brandy,  and  one  pound  of  loaf 
sugar  powdered;  mix  it  well  together- — and  when  per 
fectly  clear,  bottle  it. 


HYDROMEL,  OR  MEAD. 

Mix  your  mead  in  the  proportion  of  thirty-six 
ounces  of  honey  to  four  quarts  of  warm  water;  when 
the  honey  is  completely  held  in  solution,  pour  it  into 
a  cask.  When  fermented,  and  become  perfectly  clear, 
bottle  and  cork  it  well.  If  properly  prepared,  it  is  a 
pleasant  and  wholesome  drink;  and  in  summer  par¬ 
ticularly  grateful,  on  account  of  the  large  quantity  of 
carbonic  acid  gas  which  it  contains.  Its  goodness, 
however,  depends  greatly  on  the  time  of  bottling,  and 
other  circumstances,  which  can  only  be  acquired  by 
practice. 


TO  MAKE  A  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  ARRACK. 

Dissolve  two  scruples  flowers  of  Benzoin,  in  one 
quart  of  good  rum. 


LEMON  CORDIAL. 

Cut  six  fresh  lemons  in  thin  slices,  put  them  into 
a  quart  and  a  half  of  milk,  boil  it  until  the  whey  is 
very  clear,  then  pass  it  through  a  sieve;  put  to  this 
whey,  one  and  a  half  quarts  of  French  brandy,  and 
three  pounds  of  powdered  loaf  sugar;  stir  it  till  the 
sugar  is  dissolved — let  it  stand  to  refine,  and  bottle  it; 
pare  some  of  the  yellow  rind  of  the  lemons  very  thin, 
and  put  a  little  in  each  bottle. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE 


175 


GINGER  BEER. 

Pour  two  gallons  of  boiling  water  on  two  pounds 
firown  sugar,  one  and  a  half  ounce  of  cream  of  tartar, 
and  the  same  of  pounded  ginger;  stir  them  well,  and 
put  it  in  a  small  cask;  when  milk  warm,  put  in  half 
a  pint  of  good  yeast,  shake  the  cask  well,  and  stop  it 
close — in  twenty-four  hours  it  will  be  fit  to  bottle — 
cork  it  very  well,  and  in  ten  days  it  will  sparkle  like 
Champaigne — one  or  two  lemons  cut  in  slices  and 
put  in,  will  improve  it  much.  For  economy,  you 
may  use  molasses  instead  of  sugar — one  quart  in  place 
of  two  pounds.  This  is  a  wholesome  and  delicious 
beverage  in  warm  weather. 

SPRUCE  BEER. 

Boil  a  handful  of  hops,  and  twice  as  much  of  the 
chippings  of  sassafras  root,  in  ten  gallons  of  water; 
strain  it,  and  pour  in,  while  hot,  one  gallon  of  molas¬ 
ses,  two  spoonsful  of  the  essence  of  spruce,  two 
spoonsful  of  powdered  ginger,  and  one  of  pounded 
allspice;  put  it  in  a  cask — when  sufficiently  cold,  add 
half  a  pint  of  good  yeast;  stir  it  well,  stop  it  close, 
and  when  fermented  and  clear,  bottle  and  cork  it  tight. 

MOLASSES  BEER. 

Put  five  quarts  of  hops,  and  five  of  wheat  bran,  into 
fifteen  gallons  of  water;  boil  it  three  or  four  hours, 
strain  it,  and  pour  it  into  a  cask  with  one  head  taken 
out;  put  in  five  quarts  of  molasses,  stir  it  till  well 
mixed,  throw  a  cloth  over  the  barrel;  when  moderately 
warm,  add  a  quart  of  good  yeast,  which  must  be 
stirred  in;  then  stop  it  close  with  a  cloth  and  board. 
When  it  has  fermented  and  become  quite  clear,  bottle 


176  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

it — the  corks  should  be  soaked  in  boiling  water  an  houi 
or  two,  and  the  bottles  perfectly  clean,  and  well  drained. 

TO  KEEP  LEMON-JUICE. 

Get  lemons  quite  free  from  blemish,  squeeze  them, 
and  strain  the  juice;  to  each  pint  of  it,  put  a  pound  of 
good  loaf  sugar  pounded;  stir  it  frequently  until  the 
sugar  is  completely  dissolved,  cover  the  pitfcher  closely, 
and  let  it  stand  till  the  dregs  have  subsided,  and  the 
syrup  is  transparent;  have  bottles  perfectly  clean  and 
dry,  put  a  wine  glass  full  of  French  brandy  into  each 
bottle,  fill  it  with  syrup,  cork  it,  and  dip  the  neck  into 
melted  rosin  or  pitch;  keep  them  in  a  cool  dry  cellar — 
do  not  put  it  on  the  fire — it  will  destroy  the  fine 
flavour  of  the  juice. 

Pour  water  on  the  peels  of  the  lemons,  let  them 
soak  till  you  can  scrape  all  the  white  pulp  off,  then 
boil  the  peel  till  soft;  preserve  them  with  half  their 
weight  of  sugar,  and  keep  them  for  mince  pies,  cakes, 
&c.  They  are  a  very  good  substitute  for  citron. 

SUGAR  VINEGAR. 

To  one  measure  of  sugar,  put  seven  measures  of 
water  moderately  j^arm;  dissolve  it  completely — put 
it  into  a  cask,  stir  in  yeast  in  the  proportion  of  a  pint 
to  eight  gallons:  stop  it  close,  and  keep  it  in  a  warm 
place  till  sufficiently  sour. 

HONEY  VINEGAR. 

To  one  quart  of  clear  honey,  put  eight  quarts  of 
warm  water,  mix  it  well  together:  when  it  has  pissed 
through  the  acetous  fermentation,  a  white  vinegai  will 
be  formed,  in  many  respects  better  than  the  ordinary 
vinegar. 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  177 

SYRUP  OF  VINEGAR. 

Boil  two  pounds  of  sugar  with  four  quarts  of  vine 
gar,  down  to  a  syrup,  and  bottle  it.  This  makes  an 
excellent  beverage  when  mixed  with  water,  either  with 
or  without  the  addition  of  brandy.  It  is  nearly  equal 
in  llavour  to  the  syrup  of  lime  juice,  when  made  with 
superior  vinegar. 

AROMATIC  VINEGAR. 

Put  a  portion  of  acetate  of  potash,  (sal  diureticus,j 
into  a  smelling  bottle;  mix  gradually  with  it  half  its 
weight  of  sulphuric  acid,  and  add  a  few  drops  of  oil 
of  lavender. 


VINEGAR  OF  THE  FOUR  THIEVES. 

Take  lavender,  rosemary,  sage,  wormwood,  rue, 
and  mint,  of  each  a  large  handful;  put  them  in  a  pot 
of  earthen  ware,  pour  on  them  four  quarts  of  very 
strong  vinegar,  cover  the  pot  closely,  and  put  a  board 
on  the  top;  keep  it  in  the  hottest  sun  two  weeks, 
then  strain  and  bottle  it,  putting  in  each  bottle  a  clove 
of  garlic.  When  it  has  settled  in  the  bottle  and  be¬ 
come  clear,  pour  it  off  gently;  do  this  until  you  get 
it  all  free  from  sediment.  The  proper  time  to  make 
it  is  when  the  herbs  are  in  full  vigour,  in  June.  This 
vinegar  is  very  refreshing  in  crowded  rooms,  in  the 
apartments  of  the  sick;  and  is  peculiarly  gratefu1 
when  sprinkled  about  the  house  in  damp  weather. 

LAVENDER  WATER. 

Put  a  pint  of  highly  rectified  spirits  of  wine,  to 

one  ounce  of  essential  oil  of  lavender,  and  two 

12 


ITS  THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 

drachms  of  ambergris;  shake  them  well  together,  and 
keep  it  closely  stopped. 

HUNGARIAN  WATER. 

One  pint  spirits  of  wine,  one  ounce  oil  of  rosemary, 
and  two  drachms  essence  of  ambergris. 

TO  PREPARE  COSMETIC  SOAP  FOR  WASH¬ 
ING  THE  HANDS. 

Take  a  pound  of  castile,  or  any  other  nice  old  soap; 
scrape  it  in  small  pieces,  and  put  it  on  the  fire  with  a 
little  water — stir  it  till  it  becomes  a  smooth  paste, 
pour  it  into  a  bowl,  and  when  cold,  add  some  laven¬ 
der  water,  or  essence  of  any  kind — beat  it  with  a  sil¬ 
ver  spoon  until  well  mixed,  thicken  it  with  corn  meal, 
and  keep  it  in  small  pots  closely  covered — for  the  ad¬ 
mission  of  air  will  soon  make  the  soap  hard. 

COLOGNE  WATER. 

Three  quarts  spirits  -  of  wine,  six  drachms  oil  of 
lavender,  one  drachm  oil  of  rosemary,  three  drachms 
essence  of  lemon,  ten  drops  oil  of  cinnamon — mix 
them  together  very  well. 

SOFT  POMATUM. 

Get  nice  sweet  lard  that  has  no  salt  in  it — put  in 
any  agreeable  perfume,  beat  it  to  a  cream,  and  put  it 
in  small  pots. 


TO  MAKE  SOAP. 

Put  on  the  fire  any  quantity  of  lye  you  choose  that 
is  strung  enough  to  bear  an  egg — to  each  gallon,  add 
three  quarters  of  a  pound  of  clean  grease:  boil  it  very 
fast,  and  stir  it  frequently — a  few  hours  will  suffice  to 
make  it  good  soap.  When  you  find  by  cooling  a  little 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE.  179 

on  a  plate  that  it  is  a  thick  jelly,  and  no  grease  appears, 
put  in  salt  in  the  proportion  of  one  pint  to  three  gal¬ 
lons — let  it  boil  a  few  minutes,  and  pour  it  in  tubs  to 
cool — (should  the  soap  be  thin,  add  a  little  water  to  that 
in  the  plate,  stir  it  well,  and  by  that  means  ascertain 
how  much  water  is  necessary  for  the  whole  quantity; 
very  strong  lye  will  require  water  to  thicken  it,  after 
the  incorporation  is  complete;  this  must  be  done  before 
the  salt  is  added.)  Next  day,  cut  out  the  soap,  melt  it, 
and  cool  it  again;  this  takes  out  all  the  lye,  and  keeps 
the  soap  from  shrinking  when  dried.  A  strict  con¬ 
formity  to  these  rules,  will  banish  the  lunar  bugbear, 
which  has  so  long  annoyed  soap  makers.  Should 
cracknels  be  used,  there  must  be  one  pound  to  each  gal¬ 
lon.  Kitchen  grease  should  be  clarified  in  a  quantity  of 
water,  or  the  salt  will  prevent  its  incorporating  with 
the  lye.  Soft  soap  is  made  in  the  same  manner,  only 
omitting  the  salt.  It  may  also  be  made  by  putting  the 
lye  and  grease  together  in  exact  proportions,  and 
placing  it  under  the  influence  of  a  hot  sun  for  eight 
or  ten  days,  stirring  it  well  four  or  five  times  a  day. 

TO  MAKE  STARCH. 

Wash  a  peck  of  good  wheat,  and  pick  it  very  clean; 
put  it  in  a  tub,  and  cover  it  with  water;  it  must  be  kept 
in  the  sun,  and  the  water  changed  every  day,  or  it  will 
smell  very  offensively.  When  the  wheat  becomes 
quite  soft,  it  must  be  well  rubbed  in  the  hands,  and  the 
husks  thrown  into  another  tub;  let  this  white  substance 
settle,  then  pour  off  the  water,  put  on  fresh,  stir  it  up 
well,  and  let  it  subside;  do  this  every  day  till  the  water 
comes  off  clear — then  pour  it  off;  collect  the  starch  in 
a  bag,  tie  it  up  tight,  and  set  it  in  the  sun  a  few  days* 
then  open  it,  and  dry  the  starch  on  dishes. 


180 


THE  VIRGINIA  HOUSEWIFE. 


TO  DRY  HERRS. 

Gather  them  on  a  dry  day,  just  before  they  begin 
U>  blossom;  brush  off  the  dust,  cut  them  in  small 
branches,  and  dry  them  quickly  in  a  moderate  oven; 
pick  off  the  leaves  when  dry,  pound  and  sift  them— 
bottle  them  immediately,  and  cork  them  closely.  They 
must  be  kept  in  a  dry  place. 

TO  CLEAN  SILVER  UTENSILS. 

Dissolve  two  tea-spoonsful  of  alum  in  a  quart  of 
moderately  strong  lye — stir  in  a  gill  of  soft  soap,  and 
skim  off  the  dross.  Wash  the  silver  clean  in  hot 
water,  let  it  remain  covered  with  this  mixture  for  ten 
or  fifteen  minutes,  turning  it  over  frequently;  then  wash 
it  in  hot  soap  suds,  and  rub  it  well  with  a  dry  cloth. 

TO  MAKE  BLACKING. 

A  quarter  of  a  pound  of  ivory  black,  two  ounces 
of  sugar  candy,  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  gum  traga- 
eanth;  pound  them  all  very  fine,  boil  a  bottle  of  porter, 
and  stir  the  ingredients  in  while  boiling  hot. 

TO  CLEAN  KNIVES  AND  FORKS. 

Wash  them  in  warm  water,  and  wipe  them  till 
quite  dry;  then  touch  .them  lightly  over,  without 
smearing  the  handles,  with  rotten  stone  made  wet; 
let  it  dry  on  them,  and  then  rub  with  a  clean  ffoth 
until  they  are  bright.  With  this  mode  of  cleaning, 
one  set  of  knives  and  forks  will  serve  a  family  twenty 
years;  they  will  require  the  frequent  use  of  a  steel  to 
keep  them  with  a  keen  edge — but  must  never  be  put 
into  very  hot  water,  lest  the  handles  be  injured 


THE  END. 


